This CN is now OLD AND ABANDONED!
by Chiwizard
Summary: This fic is now abandoned. I have begun posting the rewrite. Please feel free to check out the new and improved Clockwork Nightingale...this one is still up only for observational purposes and will not be worked on ever again.
1. Siren's Dawn

Woo! It's been a while, but Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, readers of all ages (including the the ones that ignore NC-17 labels and get perfectly decent fics kicked off-site for no good reason...but I'm digressing...)  
  
Here is a new fic from me, Chiwizard! This is the reason I have barely been posting anything for the last couple of months!  
  
Now, this fic was totally inspired by the fic 'An Angel in my Closet', written by the totally awesome writer Hot Ice. You should go read that one too, even though its not _quite_ fully reposted since HI got disabled a while back. Anyone who notices the similarity between the first chapters in this fic and Hot Ice's, its just for the first chappy, believe me. I said I was inspired by AAimC, not that I'm copying it.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. But I claim total power and ownership of all the stuff i created for this fic.  
  
Read, Review, and Enjoy now, Minna-san!  
  
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Frantically, he flew through the night sky, giant gossamer wings cutting powerful strokes through the hazy cloudbanks.  
  
'Got to get away,' he thought as he strained the beautiful appendages to their maximum.  
  
He was a lot lower than he would have preferred - just a thin layer of vapor concealed him from the human city below. But they would expect him to fly high, and so he flew low.  
  
The breeze was against him tonight, and it kept blowing his golden bangs into his eyes. The rest of his wild black-and-red hair was behaving itself for once; but for his wings he would be easily mistakable for a human. He shook the bang out of face and kept flapping hard.  
  
The demon swarm that was after him wouldn't rest until their mission was completed or they were all dead. And they were resourceful to boot; a braying noise from his left revealed the location of a tracker who'd just spotted him.  
  
Instantly he climbed, going straight up while the rust-red demon called to the others. He had barely broken to clear air before he was surrounded by more of them. As one they flew at him, and the one that succeeded in grabbing him used it's scaly claws to pin his arms and wings. The sound of bat-like wings heralded the approach of their commander, a she-demon he knew far too well.  
  
"What do we have here?" Cackled the she-demon, "A Ban-Ile? But not just any Ban-Ile, it's the one Master has been looking for! Little Yami," she practically purred.  
  
"A generous bonus has been offered to the swarm that brings you in - do you think our master would give us extra if we inflicted bodily harm?"  
  
The other demons laughed. Yami could contain himself no longer. His strange crimson eyes glowed as he struggled to free himself from the demon that held him.  
  
"Damn you - you _traitor_!"  
  
On his last word Yami succeeded in freeing one wing. He swung it back and forth as hard as he could, getting many of the demons across their faces. They all flapped hard to get some distance - delicate as those wings might be, even a single feather of a Ban-Ile was harder than a diamond and cut like glass. Yami soon had his other wing free, and the demon holding him wisely flew off.  
  
Things were still for a few seconds before the demon swarm went for him with their weapons drawn. Yami didn't have a chance - the only reason he survived was that in their anger the demons began fighting amongst themselves, and in their haste the ones that had been holding him let go.  
  
Yuugi Motou wasn't really what you'd call an _ordinary_ child - sure he had some friends, lived with his family, but when all the other children were playing touch-football and running around he could always be seen gazing at something. Usually, the object of his scrutiny was the sky, or perhaps a bird that had caught his attention. He had ample amounts of logical reasoning behind not playing sports - his smaller-than-average stature for one thing.  
  
But those were never _his_ reasons. Whatever reason he really did have, looking up into the night sky that night might have been a random chance. But where Fate is involved there is no such thing as mere Chance. And so as Fate would have it, Yuugi Motou was looking at the night sky when a small silvery _something_ dropped from the bottom of a cloudbank.  
  
He blinked, and squinted - it seemed like some sort of weird bird to him.  
  
Fate also employed Curiosity in it's plans; that's why Yuugi ran outside to investigate. The strange silver creature had crash-landed in the nearby park. Yuugi ran as fast as his admittedly stunted little legs could take him, only to stop dead at the sight he found.  
  
It was a person - but people didn't have _wings_.  
  
Yuugi could remember the stories his mother had told him years ago, before she died, about the people that had great wings and lived amongst the clouds, and were called Angels by the humans that saw them. But if this was an Angel, it was one that had really been through the meat grinder.  
  
The human body part was bruised and broken, the gray flowing robes it was wearing were ripped and bloody evidence of it. It's wings, however...that made him pause. One was open, and though it looked a bit squashed it seemed to be okay. But the other one was a total mess, crumpled and actually twisted around, and was stuck underneath the Angel's own body. It was leaking some liquid that might have been blood but was clear as glass.  
  
Yuugi came to himself - he couldn't just _leave_ it here!  
  
He tried pulling the nearly destroyed wing out from under the body - and just as quickly sat back sucking on a sliced up finger. Those feathers were sharp! Making certain to not slice himself on them more, he freed the wing completely. It was another of Fate's tricks, commonly known as Coincidence, that kept any creature from seeing him carrying the slightly larger one home on his back.  
  
Grandpa wasn't back yet when Yuugi got home; thankful of avoiding a confusing explanation Yuugi hauled the person - he wasn't sure what exactly to call it, really - up the stairs to his rather large room.  
  
He laid him out on the mat gently, then tried to figure out what to do now. The first aid kit came to mind, and he scampered down the stairs to get it. When he opened it, he remembered his finger was still bleeding a little and got himself a Band-Aid for it.  
  
But just after he put it on the person occupying his bed finally regained consciousness. He - for it was most definitely a 'he' - moaned, then his eyes shot open and he tried to get up. Discovering the hard way how that wasn't an option right now he settled for a half-crouch instead and looked around with all the intent of a wounded animal. His eyes went a little wider as he caught sight of Yuugi.  
  
"Where am I? Who are you?" He demanded.  
  
Yuugi was confused, he couldn't really do much but stand there and blink. Then, hesitantly, Yuugi responded in the only way he could - a series of gestures his nimble hands easily performed. Just as he thought, the stranger didn't understand it at all.  
  
Sighing in frustration, Yuugi grabbed his pencil and a pad of paper. Hoping that this strange person could read, he quickly jotted down something before sliding it and the pencil across the hardwood floor. It stopped a short ways out of arms reach, but the intact wing extended and drew it closer, feather tips lightly scratching the floor.  
  
Yami felt his confusion compounding as he read the words.  
  
It simply said, 'You're in my room. I'm the person that found you. Who are you?'  
  
Letting his eyes linger over the words Yami could sense the unusually intense stare of the human boy on him. Briefly examining the pencil, Yami wrote in his fluid handwriting before pushing the things back.  
  
'I don't give out my name to people I don't know that I can trust. Why couldn't you just ask?'  
  
Yami could have sworn a bitter look was in the other's stare as he scribbled down another message and shoved it over.  
  
'I do - my name is Yuugi.'  
  
Underneath it was a hastily scribbled, 'Figure the rest out yourself.'  
  
While Yami tried to make some sort of sense of this a voice called up to them from below.  
  
"Yuugi, I'm back!"  
  
'Yuugi' eagerly went down the stairs. Yami tried to get up but still couldn't; instead he settled for dragging himself to look down the stairwell. What he saw astonished him. There with Yuugi was a little old human man.  
  
"So how was business while I was out?"  
  
A brief hesitation, then the younger human made a series of hand movements.  
  
"Not much, eh?" The old human chuckled a bit. "Guess my grandson's getting bored with minding the store while your Grampa's away!"  
  
Yuugi laughed a bit too, though it was either silent or too quiet for him to hear, then made a few more series of hand-movements.  
  
"I see," said the old man gravely after looking at them.  
  
Yami blinked as the obvious hit him and he dragged himself back to the mat he'd woken up on. Eventually, the one-sided-sounding conversation ended and Yuugi came back. Yami wasted no time.  
  
"You're a mute," he said.  
  
Yuugi didn't meet his gaze, instead going to rummage in a dresser. Yami sighed, scribbled a note, tore that section of paper off, wadded it up and threw it at Yuugi's head. Yuugi blinked as the note hit him in the head, and unfolded it out of curiosity.  
  
His eyes went wide as he read the single line. He looked at the winged being, but to his surprise he had actually fallen asleep from exhaustion by this point. Yuugi looked at that line again. It said, 'My name is Yami.' 


	2. Midmorning's Calm

Ah, my adoring public. How they love me!  
  
Heh. Seriously, 2 whole reviews are more than enough to get me posting more chappys. Bon Appetite!  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
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"YOU LOST HIM!?!?!" The angry shriek echoed through the lair. "YOU HAD HIM IN YOUR CLAWS AND YOU _LOST_ HIM?!?!"  
  
"My Lady - please, I beg forgiveness -"  
  
"BE SILENT!"  
  
The she-demon's words devolved to a whimper as she kneeled before her swarm's Lady. Every swarm had a Lady, to bear baby demons, and they ruled their swarms with iron grips. The she-demon was the only one of the swarm not spawned by this Lady. Naturally, this Lady hated her, even if she did put her in command. Now, the serpentine beast glared long and hard while thinking.  
  
"You have received another chance," was all she said before flapping her bat-wings and vanishing into the darkness. The she-demon hid all traces of her relief as she left to send out the trackers; that Ban-Ile wouldn't get far…  
  
Yami always slept very lightly, and so the instant Yuugi moved in his direction the next morning he woke up. He stayed still at first, letting his other senses determine his situation. It felt like a bright day out, and there didn't seem to be any immediate threats here. So Yami opened his eyes, accidentally startling Yuugi who had been looking right at his face to see if he was awake. Automatically, it would seem, the boy's hands made a sign.  
  
"Much better, thank you," Yami said, smiling very slightly at Yuugi's new expression.  
  
[How how yesterday you didn't understand this.]  
  
"Just call me a quick learner," Yami said. Yuugi shrugged.  
  
[Fine fine don't care. You look like you need a doctor Yami]  
  
A twinge made him wince as he remembered.  
  
"I noticed that part," Yami said.  
  
To his surprise, Yuugi sat right next to him with a small box.  
  
[I can fix maybe let me help]  
  
He let Yuugi bandage him up without protest, until it came to the wings.  
  
[Never fixed wings don't know how sorry]  
  
Yami examined his wings himself. The one was fine, sore from overwork but that was to be expected. The other one was a shredded mess. It was still dripping fluid too. Yami took careful hold of the thing and gave it a solid yank, straightening the joint. When he took his hands away the fluid had hardened into a natural cast. When he looked, Yami saw Yuugi staring at him with astonishment.  
  
[Wing not bite your hands]  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
[When I save you it cut me]  
  
Yuugi showed him the finger with the bandage. "They do tend to do that," Yami said.  
  
[Why what are you really] Yami thought quickly. He should tell him, the boy _had_ a right after all, but…  
  
[Want to know. Won't leave you alone until you tell]  
  
"Telling you would likely put your life in danger," Yami said quietly.  
  
[Don't care tell me]  
  
A pause.  
  
[Probably in danger already from helping you]  
  
That was true enough, Yami knew. He sighed.  
  
"Very well Yuugi, if you really need to know…"  
  
Yuugi waited patiently as Yami collected his thoughts.  
  
"I am one of the last of a race of beings that you humans have called 'Angels'."  
  
[Not called Angel what are you called then]  
  
"We prefer to call ourselves the 'Ban-Ile'."  
  
[Okay. Why are you one of the last ones]  
  
"Our numbers were declining anyway," Yami said as his gaze settled on nothing in particular, "But then He felt the need to 'help' us along."  
  
[Who's He]  
  
When Yami didn't answer, because he hadn't seen Yuugi's hands, Yuugi tapped Yami on the shoulder and repeated his question.  
  
[Who's He Yami]  
  
"Someone I hope you never have the misfortune to meet," Yami said, and wouldn't say anything else.  
  
And it would seem Fate, via Coincidence, was in full agreement with this sentiment, since just then Yuugi's grandfather called for him.  
  
Yuugi gave Yami a sidelong glance as he went, but he forgot all his questions when he saw his grandpa. The old man was dressed to travel, with a big suitcase.  
  
"Yuugi, something's come up and I'm going to have to be out of town for a while."  
  
[What thing]  
  
"A friend of mine that's been on a dig - Mr. Hawkins, he came and visited once, remember?"  
  
Yuugi nodded.  
  
"Well, he called me yesterday and asked if I could come out to the site. He thinks he's stumbled onto something big, and…"  
  
Yuugi understood. Just like him, his grandpa loved to explore new things. Or in grandpa's case, old things - he was an archeologist.  
  
[How long]  
  
"Oh, I'd imagine a month at most. Can you handle things here while I'm gone?"  
  
Yuugi nodded. In a way, this was a relief, since he had been racking his brains about how to explain Yami.  
  
"My plane leaves in an hour, so remember Yuugi - no staying up late, and none of those wild teenage parties. Alright?" Yuugi smiled while his grandpa grinned.  
  
[Yeah yeah sure sure. Don't forget to have fun Grandpa]  
  
"And don't _you_ forget, you've got school tomorrow!" Grandpa said as he left.  
  
Yuugi sighed as he went back upstairs. One of these days, he was going to make Grandpa take him on one of his trips if it was the last thing he did. He wanted to see the world too…  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
Yuugi jumped - he'd totally forgotten about Yami being right in the room with him.  
  
[Thank you for the heart attack] he signed irritably.  
  
"Nonsense, sudden shock's good for you - gets the blood flowing. What were you doing downstairs?"  
  
[Grandpa went on a trip. Won't be back for a month] Yuugi thought for a second. [Are you hungry]  
  
No response - Yami had already dozed off again. Yuugi felt something like a migraine coming on. 


	3. Noonfall

Here's another chapter for ya'll!  
  
...Gee, don't all get up at once...  
  
Disclaimer: See Chapter 2  
  
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Silently, a shape dropped from the sky, folding it's wings close to it's body as it swooped low over the sleeping houses. The specially bred trackers of demon swarms never failed in finding their targets, and this one was no exception.  
  
The great beast checked it's flight when a silver shape caught it's eye. Going back, he saw it was inside a small human building. Normally, this wouldn't matter, but this particular tracker had different orders. No disturbing humans - just retrieve the target without revealing it's presence.  
  
And since it could smell the human in the building, it merely found a niche in another building nearby where it could watch and wait. It didn't notice the other set of eyes that were watching it as well - violet eyes that were undeniably feminine, and deftly calculating…  
  
Yuugi woke up, and couldn't remember what had woken him at first. Then he remembered - a weird dream. He couldn't recall most of it, but he knew he'd been looking for something or someone.  
  
Shrugging it off, Yuugi climbed out of his sleeping bag and got dressed, not wanting to wake Yami. The poor guy needed to heal, and though he'd tried to hide it Yuugi could tell Yami was still exhausted. Silently, Yuugi went downstairs, only to hear the phone ring. Mentally cursing whoever invented the evil device, Yuugi went to answer it.  
  
He couldn't 'answer' answer, of course, so he just turned on the special recording mechanism. It told the caller that nobody that could use the phone was home and to please leave a message - his grandpa had made it from an old answering machine. He instantly recognized the voice on the other end.  
  
"Hey man, it's Jou. Look, I totally forgot an' all, so I'll just tell ya the basics now and bring Honda over in 5. No school today - some surprise teacher conference, can you believe it? Yeah, me an' Hon'll be by soon as I tell him. Bye!"  
  
Sure enough, five minutes later there was a loud knocking on the door. Yuugi answered it, going outside without any realization of the consequences…  
  
The tracker readied itself to attack when it saw the human leaving the building where the Ban-Ile was hiding. If only it and the other two humans outside would walk away entirely…until they did, it was still bound not to attack. So it merely watched, and as it did something seemed to come over it.  
  
If the witless beast had thought about it, it would have recognized that someone else's voice was inside its mind, but it did not. It simply listened as the mysterious noise spoke, compelling it to hunt. Soon enough, the mindless creature spread its wings wide, all orders of concealment forgotten. It climbed before diving right at the human building…  
  
  
  
"So, that's the thing. Weird, huh Yuugi?"  
  
[At least we get a day off] Yuugi signed.  
  
"Yeah, so lets go do something!" Honda said.  
  
"Anybody got some money? We could go to the arcade…"  
  
"Nah man, I'm broke," Jou said. The blond ran a hand through his unruly hair.  
  
"Me too," Honda said as he emptied the pockets of his trench coat. "Unless we can buy something with pocket lint."  
  
[Ditto] Yuugi signed.  
  
"Hey Yuug, can yer Gramps lend us some dough?"  
  
[No. He left on a trip yesterday. Won't be back for a month]  
  
"Just our luck - we get a day off and we can't do anything!"  
  
Jou and Yuugi laughed at Honda's pouting face until they all heard a weird whistling sound, like something falling through the air really fast. They looked up, and stared at the reddish object that was aiming right for the Shop.  
  
"What da heck is dat ting? It looks like some kinda monsta."  
  
"Guys, I think its gonna hit…"  
  
They all dived as the 'monsta' rammed right into a window and broke through easily. Only then did Yuugi remember what Yami had said to him just the other day…  
  
"Telling you would likely put your life in danger," he'd said. And whatever this thing was, it sure looked dangerous to Yuugi. But it was going inside, which meant it was really after -  
  
"Yuugi, what do you think you're doing?" Honda yelled as Yuugi ran indoors.  
  
Honda and Jou ran after him, skidding to a stop to avoid running into their friend. "Yuug -" Jou broke off as he saw what had transfixed Yuugi's attention.  
  
Up the stairs, the monster could be seen roaring and diving at something. But instantly its roars turned into a scream of pain as some shiny white thing attacked it back, sending it hurtling down the staircase.  
  
The three boys had enough sense to dive for cover before the monster hit them. The dark beast was stunned from the encounter between its head and a brick wall, and so they ran upstairs before it woke up.  
  
"Dat was way too freaky!"  
  
"You know it bro," Honda said, watching Yuugi as the smaller boy seemed to be frantically searching for something.  
  
"Wonder what knocked it down the stairs?" Suddenly, they had their answer. 


	4. Second Breakfast

I really meant to get this chapter up earlier than this, but first there was Xmas, and then my computer caught some stupid bug, so now I have to load this up into a different computer in order to post it.  
  
*Sighs*  
  
And then nobody reviews it anyway. Go figure.  
  
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Yami had been asleep until he'd heard the phone ringing. It had startled him at first, before he remembered which of those human contraptions it was. After the voice message had finished, Yami had started to fall back asleep before his senses jerked him rudely back to full consciousness.  
  
It took him but a moment to discover the cause of his unease - namely, the tracker aimed right for the window of the room he was in. Only one tracker - normally he could deal with just one easily but he was still injured. But still, as it swooped closer, Yami prepared the best defense he could. The tracker had gone right through the window, ignorant of the glass that scraped at its scaly hide.  
  
But as it leapt for him, Yami attacked first, beating at the demon with his good wing for all he was worth. It screamed as the feathers cut over its sensitive face, and taking advantage Yami had tackled the demon, knocking it down the stairs.  
  
Acting instinctively, the tracker had lashed out with its massive tail as it fell. The tail connected, knocking the Ban-Ile for a loop as well - right into a wall. Unfortunately, Yami's bad wing got the majority of the impact. He could have sworn he'd heard a 'crunch'. The pain that shot through him left him dizzy, but he had enough sense left to crawl behind the nearest piece of furniture - after all, the tracker wasn't dead, not by a long shot.  
  
And so that's where Yuugi found him, right behind the dresser.  
  
[Yami!] Yuugi signed frantically.  
  
Yami wanted to but refrained from protesting as Yuugi dragged him into the open.  
  
"Holy moly!"  
  
At the spoken words, Yami's head jerked around. There were two other humans in the room.  
  
"Yuugi, what is that thing?" asked the brunette.  
  
"An why does he got dem wings?" asked the blond.  
  
Before anybody could respond, there was a loud growling from the lower floor. Yami cursed mentally, and got to his feet. He didn't want to do this - especially when he was this weak. But it appeared he had no choice. He walked to the top of the stairs, and pulled out the round golden pendant he wore around his neck. Inscribed with ancient runes, it hummed with power.  
  
"Um -"  
  
"Stay back," Yami ordered.  
  
The humans stepped away, and at the bottom of the steps the demon tracker appeared, looking very angry. Yami held out the pendant and began to chant in the old tongue. The pendant glowed, then there was a flash of light that caused the humans to shield their eyes. The demon gave out a hideous shriek as it dissolved into dust and vanished.  
  
Yami made sure to put the pendant away before allowing himself to slump over from exhaustion.  
  
…  
  
Yuugi watched in fascination at how Yami's wings seemed to sparkle after he did whatever that light thing had been, before starting in alarm as Yami slumped onto the railing of the stairs.  
  
[Yami you okay] Yuugi signed as he went to him, very worried.  
  
"Fine, I'm fine," Yami said as he propped himself up to stand a bit straighter.  
  
A throat-clearing noise behind him reminded Yuugi that Honda and Jou had seen the entire thing.  
  
"Anybody gonna 'splain dis or what?" Jou asked.  
  
"That was the freakiest thing ever, and I want to know what happened," Honda agreed.  
  
Yuugi didn't really know what to say, but surprisingly enough Yami answered.  
  
"That is a reasonable request," he said, and they all went downstairs.  
  
There was a dent in the wall but otherwise it was as if nothing had happened here. The group sat on the sofa.  
  
"What would you like to know?"  
  
"Fer starters, who are you?"  
  
Yami looked at Jou with intense scrutiny for a moment before replying, "My name is Yami."  
  
"Why do you have wings? Are you an Angel?" Honda asked.  
  
Yuugi giggled, and though he did raise an eyebrow Yami didn't comment on it.  
  
"No," he said, "I happen to be one of the Ban-Ile."  
  
"Weird name. So, what were ya doing in Yuug's room?"  
  
The story Yami and Yuugi gave was basically Yami getting attacked, and Yuugi finding him in the park.  
  
"Man, that sounds rough. But, why were those 'demons' after you anyway?"  
  
[You never told me either] Yuugi signed during the long pause after that question.  
  
"If I do tell you - _any_ of you - then you will all be in extreme danger." Yami looked long and hard at the three of them, trying to make them understand.  
  
"Trust me on this - if I tell you anything, you _will_ be hunted down. Anyone in their way will be _butchered_ just so they can extract the information from you before they kill you. Are you still interested?"  
  
Yami's voice held an unmistakable edge of bitterness to it. Jou and Honda looked scared and a bit queasy, but Yuugi's face showed he was deep in thought.  
  
[What would happen right after you told us] he asked.  
  
"We'd need to leave this place to avoid the swarm currently after me," Yami said calmly. "Swarms don't stop until they finish their task or every single member is dead."  
  
Jou's face contorted as he thought hard about this.  
  
"I'll listen," Honda said quietly.  
  
"Hon-"  
  
"I think its bogus to be killing people for some stupid secret, and besides, Yami just saved our lives. I want to help."  
  
[Me too] Yuugi signed emphatically.  
  
"Besides, how will they know? They aren't watching us right now, are they?"  
  
"They can track you - they always figure out who knows by their scent," Yami said.  
  
Honda thought about this for a second. "Still, I'm in."  
  
Then he turned to Jou, who still hadn't spoken.  
  
"Jou? What about you man?" Jou frowned.  
  
"Leave, as in leave town?"  
  
"Eventually."  
  
"I'm in." Jou grinned. "Can't leave you poor guys alone with Honda anyway - ow!" Honda smirked.  
  
"That's what you get for that comment Jou."  
  
"I was joking!" Jou said as he proceeded to give Honda a wet willy.  
  
Much cursing and pinching then ensued while Yami stared in astonishment.  
  
"Are they like this all the time?"  
  
[No] Yuugi signed, [Usually they're a lot worse].  
  
… 


	5. Stray Breezes

Sorry for the delay, but here's the next chapter.  
  
Action will pick up soon, promise!  
  
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Once Jou and Honda finished doing their little thing, Yami was able to tell his story. It wasn't a very nice story, even though Yami purposely left most of it out.  
  
Long ago in the distant past, their was no war and no death. Everything was in harmony. In was in this place that the first Ban-Ile came into being. But this peace and tranquility was not to last.  
  
One day, a rift somehow opened between this world and the dimension of Shadows, releasing horrible powers that changed the world as it was known forever. Strange new beings came into the world from that rift, including demons.  
  
As the world dealt with this, the rift sealed itself over until millions of years later it opened again, during a time of relative calm. From that shadow realm this time came only one person - Ulgoth the Destroyer. He was a terrifying creature, and was the Master of all Demons.  
  
He united his followers and tried to destroy the world. But he was stopped by a group of human mages, wielding artifacts of great and terrible power, who sealed the Master of Demons back into his shadowy realm.  
  
Naturally, Ulgoth then began - via his demon minions - seeking these artifacts, in order to take their power for himself and use it to release him once again. Fearing this, those artifacts were hidden around the world, and each was guarded by the mage that had wielded it.  
  
Eventually, the descendants of the mages took over their roles, until the demons began killing them. Then all of the ancient powers were guarded solely by Ban-Ile.  
  
"Once the demons figured it out, it wasn't long before they began slaughtering my people as well," Yami said.  
  
"There are only a bare handful left of us now."  
  
"So," Honda said after a long pause, "That weird golden thingy you used to save us? Was that one of them?"  
  
"Yes and no." Yami said, but when pressed he changed the subject.  
  
"I'd imagine they're on their way back with more trackers - shouldn't we get moving?"  
  
"Good idea, but how are we gonna hide ya Yami? I mean, dem wings of yours are pretty big."  
  
Yami closed his eyes, and suddenly his wings receded into his back and vanished.  
  
"Wow. How long can you do dat?"  
  
"As long as I want to," Yami said as he stood up.  
  
"Well, before we go anywheres, Yuugi'd better pack up. If he's leave'n…" Yuugi nodded and ran upstairs to pack.  
  
…  
  
"I feel uncomfortable in this outfit."  
  
"Well, until you buy some normal clothes Yami," Honda said while hiding a giggle, "That's what you're gonna be wearing."  
  
Since his usual robes were shredded a few times over, Yami had be forced to agree to wear what Yuugi's friends called 'normal' clothing. They were too baggy, but the rest of their selection had been too small so he had to deal with it.  
  
Yuugi had sent his grandfather a message, saying he had been invited to stay at a friend's house. Right now, Yuugi was trying to look inconspicuous with a suitcase of things he wanted kept safe. They were headed for Jou's house, which Jou assured them was fine because his father hadn't been home for a week anyway and wasn't about to show up now.  
  
Once they got settled, the humans began passing the time with a card game while Yami searched for better clothing. He finally managed to construct what he felt was a decent outfit and examined it with interest.  
  
Leather was one of the better human fabrics, in his opinion. He also had on a black trench coat he had found, and it swept behind him in a cape-like fashion.  
  
Remembering something, Yami slipped off the coat and focused. There was some pressure before the feathers on his emerging wings sliced through the leather and they swept open. An experimental flap proved they had healed as always, although something still seemed a bit off about his left wing.  
  
It was still somewhat sore, which it shouldn't be, but he retracted them again anyway. The slits in his clothes weren't noticeable, so he headed downstairs to where the others were waiting.  
  
The she-demon snarled - what the hell had happened to her tracker? It had actually disobeyed orders and attacked when humans were around.  
  
At least this time the Lady couldn't pin this fiasco on her - trackers were bred to obey, and if there was one that disobeyed it was the Lady's fault, since she had failed to breed an useful tracker. And so the she-demon headed a squad of warriors, all of them headed for the human building where the tracker had found the Ban-Ile.  
  
Hopefully, they could pick up the trail before the Ban-Ile got too far away. The squad surrounded the empty house before entering, and from there they tore the place apart. The Ban-Ile was long gone, and there was a distinct magical residue hanging in the air.  
  
A tracker was with the squad, and the warriors kept a close watch over it to insure there was no repeat of disobedience as it tried to find the trail…  
  
… 


	6. Low Clouds

Let's hear it for new chapters!  
  
...  
  
I can't HEAR you!  
  
(All standard disclaimers apply)  
  
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It was very early in the morning when Jou woke up. For a minute, he just lay there blinking, wondering what time it was. Upon seeing his clock, he felt very angry but no matter how he tried he couldn't get back to sleep.  
  
"Weird," he muttered as he reluctantly got up.  
  
It was still before dawn, and normally he couldn't really wake up until well after noon.  
  
"Wonder what woke me up?"  
  
Then he heard it - somebody knocking on the door. Shrugging, he went to answer it. There was no one there.  
  
"What da-"  
  
Jou froze as he heard something really weird. It sounded like a flock of some really large bats headed this way.  
  
"Uh-oh…"  
  
"I'd get inside if I were you," said a mysterious voice.  
  
Jou whirled, only to discover, to his amazement -  
  
"Mai? Mai Kajaku?"  
  
Sure enough, the blond-bombshell from school was there in all her finery. She walked to the doorway.  
  
"Like I said, better get inside," she said as she walked right past an amazed Jou.  
  
"You wanna 'splain sumting Mai?"  
  
"Quiet."  
  
For once, Mai was totally serious and Jou shut right up. They peered out the window as the wing beats grew very loud, then a bunch of thuds echoed as something landed.  
  
"Mai? What are does tings?"  
  
"That," Mai said as she pointed, "Is a demon, my dear Jounouchi Katsuya."  
  
"A demon?"  
  
Both of them turned to see a trio of people watching them. Honda looked sleepy, Yuugi looked confused, and Yami looked ready to spontaneously self-combust from anger. Then he got a good look at Mai and blinked.  
  
"I don't believe it."  
  
"Believe what?" Jou asked, but nobody was listening.  
  
"It's been a while, hasn't it Yami?" Mai said, and a shining white wing extended like a half-cloak while Mai did a little mocking bow.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
[She's one too] Yuugi signed in surprise.  
  
"Not exactly," Yami said.  
  
"It doesn't really matter right now anyway," Mai said, "Unless you think having half a demon swarm outside is not a problem."  
  
"Only half?"  
  
There was a loud thud on the roof that ended further questions.  
  
Honda glanced out the window nervously. "So, what do we do?"  
  
"Maybe we can go out da back way?" Jou asked.  
  
"No good - they're on your roof remember?"  
  
Yuugi recalled something from an old visit to Jou's house.  
  
[Underground] he signed.  
  
"Under-what?"  
  
"Oh yeah, I almost fergot about dat!"  
  
Jou grinned and opened a door. "Der's another way out - through da basement! Me an Yuug' found it one time when you were sick Honda."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Where does it lead?" Yami had one wing fully emerged already.  
  
"Uh, through dis old tunnel, and den…um…"  
  
[It goes to the sewers] Yuugi reminded him.  
  
"Oh yeah," Jou said ruefully.  
  
"Then let's go," Mai said, and headed down the stairs.  
  
Honda followed Mai, and then Yami and Yuugi walked down. Jou closed the door behind him and barred it from the inside, just as they heard the noise of the front door being broken down. The steps lead to a small, concrete lined room, and right behind the steps there was an old manhole covering.  
  
"You sure got a weird house bro," Honda said as they levered themselves down one-by-one.  
  
"It's old. Pops bought it cheap."  
  
Mai was heard grumbling about how this was going to ruin her outfit, and she snapped at Jou and Honda when they started snickering.  
  
Yuugi stayed close to everyone, since it was dark and he didn't really like the dark. He wasn't afraid of the dark, but when it was dark no one could see his hands and then he couldn't talk to anyone, which always left him annoyed.  
  
Yami, however…Yami still had one wing out, but now it was wrapped around him like a cloak. Glad no one could see what he was doing, he kept looking around, but mostly at the ceiling. The tunnel was just a little small for human standards - Honda had his head ducked for example - but for a creature of flight such as himself, this place was far too confining.  
  
It didn't help matters that they were _underground_ as well. The only real benefit of that was that as flying creatures themselves, demons avoided places like these, and so they were relatively safe here. The thought did next to nothing for Yami's claustrophobia.  
  
… 


	7. Mist and Shadows

Someone, anyone!  
  
REVIEW ME! FOR THE LOVE OF MIKE, REVIEW MY FIC!  
  
Disclaimer: see last chappy  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"…No."  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"…_No_."  
  
"Are we -"  
  
"Honda if you say dat one more time!"  
  
Honda grinned, then said, "Are -"  
  
His sentence was cut short by Mai's slap connecting with his face.  
  
"Ow! What was that for?"  
  
Yuugi laughed with Jou, before glancing behind him again. He was feeling concerned about the remaining member of their little group. He could hear Yami quite easily, and there seemed to be something amiss.  
  
So, as they walked down the tunnel, which seemed a lot longer than he remembered, Yuugi left himself drift towards the back of the group. It was hard to judge the distance in the dark, so Yuugi found himself running into something before he could prepare for it.  
  
"Who is that?"  
  
He heard Yami asking in surprise, and for lack of a better answer Yuugi grabbed Yami's hand and set it on his own head. The shape of his hair gave him away.  
  
"Yuugi?" Yuugi nodded, slowly.  
  
Then he reached up and took Yami's hand in his own, and walked next to him. The other three had gotten a little ahead, and it was even dimmer without the light from the lighter Jou had found in his pocket earlier.  
  
Or so Yuugi thought, until he realized something was giving off some silvery light. It took him a minute before he found the source. Yami's wing was glowing, not a lot but it was giving off light all the same. It looked really cool, in Yuugi's opinion.  
  
"Aha! Made it!"  
  
Jou's voice echoed from up ahead.  
  
"Finally," Mai's voice grumbled.  
  
"Hey, where's Yuugi? And Yami?"  
  
"Guys, you still back there?"  
  
Yuugi nudged Yami, who blinked before answering, "We're right here."  
  
They made their way to where the others stood, through a circular opening and into a semi-lit area.  
  
"Ladies and Germs, let me welcome you ta da Domino City Sewers."  
  
"Finally! I though we were gonna wander around that tunnel forever!"  
  
In reality, it probably hadn't taken longer than thirty minutes, but Honda's exaggeration was understandable. Yuugi signed, now that they could see it.  
  
[Where to now]  
  
"They'll start coming down the tunnel eventually," Yami pointed out.  
  
"Well, don't look at me! I try to avoid sewers. My original idea was to warn you and then go home. A gal's got to get her beauty sleep, after all," Mai said, stretching her currently extended wing with a yawn.  
  
"Good point - who really goes in the sewers at all?"  
  
There was an uncomfortable shifting from Jou.  
  
"Well…"  
  
"Jou, please don't tell us what I think you're gonna tell us."  
  
"It's not like I _live_ down here! It's just … a shortcut, dat's all!"  
  
"To the land of the Mole People, maybe."  
  
"Honestly, you boys read too many comic books," Mai said as Jou lead them alongside the disgusting-smelling river of sewage.  
  
Back in the remains of Jou's house, the she-demon was just about to lose her temper. The Ban-Ile had most definitely been in the house when they had arrived, along with a small group of humans.  
  
She had taken half the swarm - the other half was guarding the Lady - and just as they had entered the human dwelling, the Ban-Ile and his human friends had vanished into thin air!  
  
She corrected herself - _almost_ vanished into thin air.  
  
It took twenty minutes searching before they found the barred door to the human's basement. Of course, none of the demons here, herself included, was about to go crawling in some tiny tunnel underground just to catch one miserable Ban-Ile.  
  
It took a little 'forceful persuasion' before five warriors and the tracker climbed down the hole. As the rest of the hunting party climbed down one at a time, the she-demon paused to think.  
  
She knew the Ban-Ile called Yami well - better than anyone - and she knew how reluctantly he would have taken a route like this one.  
  
He didn't even _walk_ if he could help it, immensely preferring the sky. To agree to go into an underground tunnel like this one, he would have had to be too injured to argue. The she-demon smiled suddenly, a feral look that sent the nearest demon under her command diving into the hole head first. She barked an order, and a score of her remaining warriors gladly followed her outside. Wings were faster than legs any day, and the she-demon knew exactly where Yami was going…  
  
…  
  
"Tada! Da other side o' town, anyone?"  
  
Jou looked expectantly at his companions as they piled out of the large sewer pipe that had taken them right to a park.  
  
"Thank god! My sense of smell will never be the same again!" Honda said as he flopped onto the nearby grass.  
  
"That was the absolute worst thing I've ever done," Mai said matter-of-factly. "I probably smell like a sewer now!"  
  
[At least you didn't get pushed into one] Yuugi signed grumpily, after which he grabbed a bunch of grass and began scrubbing his leg with it.  
  
During their sewer sojourn, one of Honda's pranks had been trying to shove Jou in the river of sewage. A miss had almost sent Yuugi right in, but Yami had pulled him out in time to avoid falling all the way. His left leg up to the knee hadn't been so lucky.  
  
"Hey, why are yeh blamin' me? Honda shoved yeh, not me!"  
  
Meanwhile, Yami took the opportunity to really stretch both his wings out. He was just happy to be aboveground - but his happiness was short lived.  
  
The others blinked in astonishment as Yami folded his wings so fast they made a snapping sound.  
  
[What's wrong]  
  
Yami didn't answer, barely gave any indication of noticing the question, merely standing and listening with a focus that was frightening in its intensity.  
  
And then, impossibly light on the breeze, there came a sound of massive wing beats. They grew louder with each passing moment.  
  
"We've got to get out of here."  
  
"Wait." Mai stood straight. "If we stay in a big group like this, we'll be too easy to catch."  
  
Honda chose that moment to totally ruin the mood.  
  
"Alright, then lets split up gang!"  
  
Everyone else just stared.  
  
"What das dis look like, a Scooby-Doo cartoon?"  
  
"Of course, he has a point. I'm going to head downtown," Mai said. "Who's with me?"  
  
Jou and Honda immediately volunteered to 'escort' Mai. Yuugi looked back and forth, before going to stand next to Yami.  
  
"Okay boys, lets get moving!" 


	8. Summer Rains

This is just another chapta/with all the typical drama...  
  
Voila! A new chapter for everybody that bothers to read this fic! You possibly existing people mean so much to me!  
  
Disclaimer: Me no own Yu-gi-oh. You would know if I did - the first season would be on the air in subtitles.  
  
(cue bloodthirsty giggling)

* * *

As Jou, Honda, and Mai headed off, Yami and Yuugi began walking the other way.  
  
[**Where now Yami**]  
  
Yami responded in a veiled whisper.  
  
"We'll see what happens next. If we get attacked, our best bet may be going back into the sewers."  
  
[**Yuck**]  
  
Yuugi looked at his still fragrant leg and made a face - despite his best efforts with the grass he still reeked. Beside him, Yami chuckled slightly.  
  
"Believe me, I've been in worse places."  
  
Then there was no more time for talking as the wing beats grew still louder and they walked faster. But they failed to get out of the park before the first demons swooped overhead.  
  
"Get down," Yami hissed as he dragged himself and Yuugi under the cover of a bush. The tiny branches scratched at their skin and scraped loudly against Yami's wings, but there was little they could do.  
  
As a demon passed low overhead, a breeze rattled the bush. Then another demon landed nearby and they could see it clearly.  
  
It was Huge, with heavily muscled limbs and leathery bat-like wings tucked behind its back, the demon was like something right out of a nightmare. Eyes like glowing embers peered past a drooling muzzle to blankly stare into the rapidly fading night surrounding them. Clawed feet dug deep into the soft soil as the beast took steps in their direction.  
  
Both boy and Ban-Ile watched as the dreadful thing came closer, until - another bush rustled and a small rabbit hopped out. The demon whirled at the noise, but the tiny creature began nibbling at the grass absent-mindedly, oblivious to the predator until it was too late.  
  
Yuugi couldn't tear his eyes away as the demon's scaly arm reached out, its talons piercing the skin of the now-panicking rodent, who's legs flailed helplessly as the demon's head bent down and with a sickening crunch, ripped the little beastie's head clean off.  
  
If Yuugi could have spoken aloud, he surely would have screamed, but instead he cling tighter to the nearest bit of safety he knew of. Yami, having of course seen everything, held Yuugi close as the boy buried his face in his chest and made tiny half-whimpers.  
  
The movement with its subsequent noise drew the demon's attention, and still holding his snack the hunter headed their way. Instantly, Yami pulled Yuugi closer, and drawing his wings over the both of them like a shield he closed his eyes and kept them shut.  
  
Not out of any lack of courage or any overwhelming fear - merely that if he were to make any eye-contact with the demon, it would sound the alarm and they would be finished then and there. Until then, they were concealed.  
  
However, Yami was by no means perfect, and as the heavy steps got closer a deep-rooted fear grew stronger within him - a fear born of years as prey. Maddeningly slowly, the steps drew nearer until the demon stopped right beside the bush. Deep panting breaths, and the occasional snort, seemed to be the only sounds left in the world, until all of a sudden a baying noise echoed from far off.  
  
The demon turned and bolted in the direction of the noise, only pausing to drop his headless and still bleeding victim into the bush. When they were in the clear, Yami immediately shrugged the carcass off his wing and wiped it on the bush while Yuugi tried not to look at it.  
  
"Disgusting," Yami said as he scraped his silver wings clean of the rabbit's blood.  
  
[**Can we please go now**] Yuugi signed as Yami kicked the body back into the bush.  
  
"Back to the sewers - they were heading away from them," Yami said and they took off.  
  
…  
  
During this time, the other trio had managed to make it to the safety of Mai's apartment.  
  
"You sure got a sweet place Mai," Honda said as they looked around.  
  
"Man, you must be rich or something'," Jou agreed.  
  
"You boys will be safe here," Mai said, "But I'm worried about Yami and that silent kid."  
  
"Y'mean Yuug? He can take care of 'imself, right Honda?"  
  
"Yeah, but did you check out those bodybuilder freaks? I don't think anybody could beat those things."  
  
Mai came to a decision.  
  
"Right, I'm going after them."  
  
"What? You gotta be kiddin' me!"  
  
"We're not letting you go out there on your own!"  
  
Mai winked, and the boys blushed.  
  
"But boys," she said in a wheedling tone, "You'd just get in the way and get hurt..."  
  
"Well, when you put it like dat…"  
  
"There's food in the fridge, and don't touch anything in my room," Mai said quickly before walking out.  
  
Alone on the rooftop, Mai finally let herself open both wings. Her right wing was the normal Ban-Ile wing, silver with diamond-edged feathers, but her left wing was black, and the feathers had edges like obsidian - volcanic glass.  
  
It was reminiscent of how she had first gotten her wings; simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thanks to the accident on that day, she wasn't just Ban-Ile; she was half Ban and half human. Or rather, she was a human that was also half Ban-Ile.  
  
Pushing all thoughts of the past to the side, Mai took flight, heading towards the park as fast as her wings could carry her. 


	9. It never rains but it

Okay, fine. DON'T review my fic. See if I care.  
  
I guess I'll just keep this EXTRA YUGIOH MOVIE TICKET for myself...  
  
Disclaimer: Does not, has never, and at this rate probably never will own Yu-Gi-Oh

* * *

.

.  
Two figures darted from tree to tree, dodging demons, until they finally dove into the sanctuary of the sewer entrance. Yuugi panted, worn out from the run, as they hurried down the large pipe.  
  
Being short stank - but not as much as the sewers did, he added mentally, as the wave of odor hit them. Yami seemed to barely notice the smell at all, but kept glancing behind them. After seeing a demon for the first time, Yuugi could understand it quite well.  
  
They wandered aimlessly, taking turns randomly, and for those first few minutes it seemed like they would be safe in here. Before one turn though, Yuugi felt a sudden surge of unease - like taking this turn was a bad idea.  
  
Shrugging it off as nerves, he headed around the corner, trailing Yami. But Yuugi's instincts rarely told him wrong. All of a sudden, out of nowhere and as a great surprise to both of them, a leaner looking demon burst from out of the shadows and lunged at them.  
  
Yuugi dodged, but the demon seemed only interested in Yami and tackled him. Caught off guard from the sudden attack, Yami was stuck on the ground with his wings pinned beneath him. The demon roared and snapped at Yami with its toothy snout.  
  
The Ban-Ile gave little indication of the pain he undoubtedly felt as he moved his arm to block the jaws, which the fangs easily sank into. Yuugi couldn't stand by and watch his friend get hurt, and spying a long iron pipe and some large rocks lying on the ground nearby he got an idea.  
  
Yuugi grabbed the pipe and a rock, then threw the rock at the demon. It hit it in the head, and the demon spotted him. It roared - more out of annoyance than any sort of real pain - and left Yami to attack him instead.  
  
Yuugi dove out of the way, and the demon's claws scratched at the floor as it scrambled for purchase before leaping at him again. Yuugi swung blindly with the pipe, and by sheer luck it hit the demon hard in the side of it's head, stunning it if but momentarily. The force of the impact caused Yuugi to accidentally lose his grip on the pipe.  
  
As soon as the demon recovered, it took full advantage, and as it bowled Yuugi over it's jaws closed over his left leg. Yuugi thought he heard Yami screaming something, but what really got his attention - besides the obvious predicament with his leg - was the strange noise that his own mouth suddenly issued.  
  
It took a millisecond before he realized he himself had screamed, although the strange bird-like noise could barely be considered that, and then the demon released his leg untouched and bolted with an eerie wail. After a stunned second, Yuugi asked the obvious.  
  
[**What was that about**]  
  
Yami chuckled a little.  
  
"That was a tracker demon - they have extremely refined senses of taste and smell."  
  
[**Oh. And my leg was still -**]  
  
Yuugi had to stop signing because of a sudden giggle. Then there was no time for talking, as thunderous footsteps echoed through the maze of gigantic pipes. They bolted, hoping they could find their way out before the demon swarm found them.  
  
…  
  
The she-demon lay in wait in her chosen perch, waiting. She saw as the tracker bolted from the sewers with a shriek. It must have gotten a taste of sewer water, she thought, and ignored it.  
  
Then there was a call from above. A something flew quickly overhead, followed by a pack of her hunters. The she-demon glanced up. Had they found the prey that was hers by right?  
  
Nope, the Ban-Ile they chased was no one she knew, with one silver wing and one black wing. She shrugged it off - let them capture a latecomer, she was only interested in the guest of honor. But he'd better show up soon - the sun was beginning to rise.  
  
And then, she saw it. A flash of light as somebody with big silver wings ran out of the sewer main. Cackling with dark delight, she spread her wings and gave silent chase…  
.

.  
As they ran, with a dozen demons in hot pursuit, Yuugi tried to remember if there were any places to hide in this park. The trouble was, he wasn't sure what park they were in - Domino City had a couple - and there wasn't time to stop and think.  
  
The demons ran on all fours, and that made them faster.  
  
'Got to think of a way out,' Yuugi thought as he forced his short legs to keep moving.  
  
Then he heard something else, a sort of roaring and whooshing noise. It was very familiar - of course! He knew where they were now, the old park by the sea!  
  
Yuugi tugged Yami's hand, gesturing in the right direction. It took a moment, but Yami caught on fast and they headed for the cliff.  
  
There it was, the ocean, sparkling in the light of dawn. There was a terrific wind blowing in, and Yami grinned.  
  
Without a word of warning, Yami scooped Yuugi into his arms, opened his wings, and dove off the cliff. And his wings caught the breeze easily, the updraft sending them soaring.  
  
Yuugi gaped at the awesome view, his mouth forming the words he could not say aloud. Yami just smiled before tacking into the wind, expertly sending them even higher.  
  
Below them, the demons checked their headlong dash and took to the air as well, but they were far slower in gaining altitude.  
  
Yuugi saw that Yami didn't pay any attention to them, for it was the demons already in the air that were the real danger. Although they seemed preoccupied with someone who had a silver wing and a black wing -  
  
[**Is that Mai**]  
  
Yuugi managed to form the words with only one hand.  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
When he spied Yuugi's confused look, Yami added, "She's actually only half Ban-Ile."  
  
'Oh,' Yuugi mouthed.  
  
Yuugi thought about that as Yami banked and flapped his way downtown. There seemed to be a lot more flapping than banking involved, and Yuugi hoped he wasn't weighing Yami down or anything.  
  
As they began soaring over buildings, Mai flew up to join them.  
  
"Hey there boys, long time no see." She waved as she swooped past them, very fast.  
  
"Show-off," Yuugi heard Yami mutter.  
  
Yuugi didn't know what to say - so to speak - and glanced upwards. However, he spotted the danger too late.  
  
…


	10. Foggy Morning

You ppl are VERY damn lucky I still update this thing, u know! Despite how much nobody appriciates my work, I continue to put it up here...and once I find a way I'll upload something that'll MAKE you read it!  
.

.  
_Thhhhhbbbbbttttt!_  
  
Disclaimer: See previous chappy, fo'.

* * *

.  
The she-demon grinned dangerously, baring her fangs, and dove at Yami right from directly above. With the tiny human he was carrying, he was about as maneuverable as a tugboat.  
  
The human looked up and spotted her right before she hit, but there was nothing he could do before she struck. Yami must have gotten some inkling of danger, since he was beginning a ponderous turn, but it was simply not enough.  
.

.  
Her claws scraped a wing and sliced down Yami's side before she was below him. From the sudden shock, Yami lost his grip on the human and some serious altitude. The she-demon waited, expecting the human to scream at least, but the other Ban-Ile swooped and snatched it.  
  
Yami regained level flight just as quickly. The she-demon still grinned - he was favoring one wing, that was a good sign.  
  
"Oh well," she said as she drifted up to them, "I suppose Master won't mind if you're a little 'Damaged on Delivery', hmm?"  
  
"Damn you," he snapped.  
  
She laughed, then swooped at him again. This time, he could dodge her, and dived towards the human city with her in hot pursuit.  
.

.  
Yami flew as fast as he could, not bothering with stealth. His nemesis flapped and glided, somehow keeping up with wings not meant for fast flight. Then again, he mused to himself, his wings weren't in the best of shape for this either.  
  
But he knew if he didn't lose her, and soon, then this would be it - he'd tire, and then she'd pounce right on him. The pendant bounced against his chest, and he knew that it was the true reason behind their pursuit.  
.

.  
They'd even infiltrated and murdered his tribe for it. Yami knew he couldn't let them have it, and as it seemed like he was about to be caught his best bet was giving it to someone else.  
.

.  
Not just anyone, however - the pendant itself was a powerful item, and it could easily corrupt someone - especially a human with a weak mind. That little thought firmly planted in his head, Yami did his best to try and lose her.  
  
Diving down alleys and flying where wings could not be moved from the fully spread position, he heard her cursing and flew headlong, aiming where he thought Mai and the others were.  
  
There were a few yells below, from humans that had gone outside early and were witnessing all of this. Yami heard some calls that seemed to be encouraging, but he ignored them and flew on. As he spotted the tall building and saw the group of people waiting purposely on the roof, he felt rather than heard his assailant dive in for an attack.  
.

.  
It cause the two of them to slam into the rooftop, Yami on his back, and taking advantage he kicked the stunned she-demon off the roof.  
  
"Yami!" He heard someone cry, but what he was most focused on was Yuugi, who had simply ran to him to see if he was alright.  
  
Acting swiftly, Yami reached and pulled the pendant off his neck by the chain, and pressed it into Yuugi's hands.  
  
Yuugi blinked, looked at it, and gasped, but then a fully recovered she-demon slammed into them. Yami bore the brunt of the attack, but Yuugi's head hit the roof hard and he went limp.  
  
"Oh look, the little human seems to want to take a nap," the she-demon sneered.  
  
Yami felt something he didn't know was inside him suddenly snap.  
  
"Curse you - you - _Anzu_!"  
  
He screamed the name with a hateful snarl and launched himself at the demon, who was startled enough to let herself get knocked off the roof a second time. Then she got mad.  
  
"NEVER CALL ME BY THAT NAME!"  
  
She shrieked, and in midair slammed Yami against the wall of the building, pinning him there with a clawed hand she drove clear through his weakened wing. The pain and everything else finally overwhelmed Yami, and he fell unconscious.  
  
Snarling, Anzu the she-demon grabbed him firmly by the same wing and took off, forgetting about the rest of them entirely.  
  
…

* * *

...Hey, I know what you're thinking, and this ISN'T an Anzu-bashing fic!

Really. It's not!


	11. Ill Winds

Hee hee...reviews! Lifeblood of the fanfiction industry!

...Now that I think about it, if this is an industry...why aren't I getting paid, huh?!

Disclaimer: Yugioh not mine

Claimer: Ban-Ile species, storyline, and plot mine

* * *

.  
  
_In a strange and shifting landscape, he wandered about in search. What he sought, he had no idea, but he looked very hard for it. The scenery around him grew dark and cold as he found himself walking down a dark corridor.  
._

_.  
Echoes of half-faded sound reached him; screams of unspeakable agony, roars from terrifying unseen beasts, and dreadful moans that came from something that was only half alive. It was almost enough to make him retch, but still he looked around for whatever he was looking for.  
._

_.  
A flash of silver drew him to the end of the corridor, where he saw rows of small dark cages, hanging from the ceiling on thick dark chains. There was something white and shining in one of them -_  
.

.  
Yuugi's eyes shot open. He sat up, and then instantly thought better of it as throbbing ache suddenly attacked his head from all sides. Gritting his teeth, he forced away and as it began to fade he took a good look around. He was in somebody's bedroom, alone. Yuugi blinked at the pink upholstery, before the door opened and Jou of all people walked in.  
  
"Yuug! Ya finally woke up!"  
  
Yuugi winced at his best friend's shout. Meanwhile, Jou continued babbling.  
  
"We saw ya get knocked out and its been two days already -"  
  
Yuugi stopped paying attention. He'd been unconscious for two days? Jou stopped talking long enough to run out and find the others; Yuugi let himself sink back into the pillows. Outside, he could hear rain falling - very heavy rain.  
  
Jou came back with Honda and Mai in tow, but there seemed to be someone missing…  
  
[**Where's Yami**] Yuugi demanded.  
  
Their suddenly downcast looks told him to prepare for the worst.  
  
"Well…"  
  
Honda started, then looked at Mai.  
  
"Shortly after you were knocked out, Yami was captured," she said softly.  
  
Yuugi's head rang with the denials he couldn't articulate. He tried getting up, only to be stopped.  
  
"Whoa, you're still pretty beat up. Better take it easy," Honda said.  
  
They stood around for a few more minutes before the others excused themselves and Yuugi was left alone. He tried to do as they wanted, and dozed.  
  
But he repeatedly woke from dreams of terrifying loneliness. Even though he hadn't known him for very long, losing Yami was like the world going out of order.  
  
It was a strange feeling - unhindered by the knowledge that the Ban-Ile had gone down fighting to protect a kid like him. Yuugi tried to not think of anything, and instead listened to the rain that was coming down as fierce as ever.  
  
The rain sounded angry, as though something dear to it had been taken away as well. The weather would forget and it's fury would pass over time, but Yuugi didn't even have anything to remember him by…  
.

.  
Yuugi paused.  
.

.  
Something to remember him by…the pendant!  
  
Yami's pendant!  
  
Yami had given it to him moments before that girl demon had attacked. Where was it?  
  
Yuugi looked everywhere, but the pendant was not in the room. An idea occurred to him and he tiptoed out of the bedroom.  
  
Mai wasn't anywhere to be found, but he could hear someone taking a shower and he could see Jou snoring on a couch.  
  
Honda was in the shower then; and since a herd of deranged elephants couldn't wake Jou Yuugi looked around, trying to see if one of them had left the pendant lying around somewhere.  
  
No such luck. Maybe it was still on the roof?  
.

.  
Slipping on his shoes and borrowing an umbrella, Yuugi crept out of the apartment and made for the stairs. Rain pelted him and a sudden gust of wind sent a chill through him when he pushed open the rooftop door.  
  
Yuugi didn't mind any of it, but looked around until a glint of gold caught his eye. He ran over and sure enough, there was the pendant. Yuugi scooped it up, and was startled to feel it was completely dry.  
  
Not to mention warm. It was pretty creepy. It seemed to vibrate and hum in his hand.  
  
While Yuugi contemplated this, he spotted a flash of something else in the corner of his eye. Sticking the pendant into his pocket, he wandered over to the source.  
.

.  
It was a feather of some kind, long and elegant. It stuck out of the weird material the roof was made out of at an odd angle, as if the wing this feather had come from had been slammed against it and just this single feather had been ripped free…  
  
"Yuugi! Are you trying to catch pneumonia out here?"  
  
Mai stormed up behind him, her features stern. Then they faltered.  
  
"...C'mon, lets go inside and we can plan what to do next," she said.  
  
Yuugi picked the feather up and took it with him, all the while marveling at the subtle glow it still possessed.  
  
…


	12. Winds of Change

Wow. I think I've discovered some loyal fans! Sweet!

Just for you guys, here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

* * *

…

"Hey, I have a question. What can we do, anyway?" Honda asked.  
  
"Dey were afta Yami, and dey got him, so der's no way ta know where dey've gone now," Jou pointed out.  
  
"I guess this means they aren't gonna come after us?"  
  
"You boys could just go back to your old lives right now, and forget any of this ever happened," Mai said.  
  
(**No**) Yuugi signed quietly. (**I couldn't**)  
  
"Yuugi, if you're thinking what I think your thinking…"  
  
(**I want to find Yami**)  
  
"That's some problem your going to have there Yuugi," Mai said doubtfully. "The whole swarm will have left town by now, and there's no other way to find him."  
  
Honda opened his mouth, his face apologetic.  
  
"Guys, if you're going on some other expedition, you're gonna have to count me out on this one." He shrugged. "I'm just not cracked up for this sort of thing, you know?"  
  
"Hey, it's cool," Jou said.  
  
(**I'm not going to stop until I find Yami**) Yuugi insisted. (**Can't you help Mai**)  
  
"Yeah, ders gotta be a rumor or something floatin' around after all dis time."  
  
Mai thought while Honda said his goodbyes and left.  
  
"There was an old saying about the homeland of demons, but -"  
  
"Dat'll be perfect! Let's hear it!"  
  
"It doesn't make a lot of sense," Mai cautioned before reciting the verse.

.  
  
_"If untimely death be what you seek/_

_  
then dear friends just follow me._

Know me as a gateway of shadows and despair/ 

hidden not in a landscape fair.

A blue serpent's head submerged in marsh/ 

this is where you shall start.

I only release, I do not intake/ 

so the tails are my head, in this way.

Follow until, without a change/ 

the sky and clouds separate.

There your dilemma only grows/ 

for there is a rule you never would know.

If you have but the Key/ 

then I shall open up to thee.

If you have both Key and Lock/ 

then on death's door it's safe to knock.

But remember, either way/ To a demon's den is the visit you'll pay." 

.  
  
"Wow…dat was weird…"  
  
"I warned you," Mai admonished Jou.  
  
"I can't really help any further than that. Did it mean anything?"  
  
(**I think**,) Yuugi hesitated, (**That was a lot of help**)  
  
"Huh? How?"  
  
(**I think it says if we want to go to where the demons come from, we need something powerful. Maybe we should find one of those artifacts Yami told us about**)  
  
"Great idea Yuug! Only…how do we do dat?"  
  
"That I can help you with," Mai said cheerfully. "It's a well-known fact the artifacts were locked away in ruins all over the world. But since no one has any idea _which_ ruins…"  
  
"Den lets get dos artie-facts and save Yami! Who's wit me?"  
  
"Katsuya, get off of my coffee table!"

.  
  
The rain that had been pounding the city for three days had finally let up, but it was still cloudy outside. And so one Mokuba Kaiba persuaded his older brother to go with him to the newly opened museum exhibit.  
  
When he continued being a stick-in-the-mud, Mokuba's next plan of attack was to get separated from his overprotective bro. While Seto Kaiba wandered the museum in search of him, Mokuba hung around near the entrance.

.  
  
That was how he saw the unlikely pair.  
  
"Yeah I'm sure dis is a good idea. Ain't all my ideas good?"  
  
The blond had been speaking aloud, but the other boy - who was remarkably enough Mokuba's height - made a series of gestures with his hands.  
  
The blond watched, and groaned.  
  
"You an Honda are neva gonna let me fegit that, ain't ya?"  
  
They laughed, but then ran into the boy that had been watching them this entire time.  
  
"Ah no! Sorry about dat kid, are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," Mokuba said. "My name's Mokuba, who are you guys?"  
  
The taller blond looked at the shorter kid - who had a weird hairstyle now that Mokuba thought about it - and grinned.  
  
"Nice ta meet ya Mokuba. I'm Jou, and dis here is my buddy Yuugi!"  
  
Yuugi made a sign with his hands.  
  
"Eh, he wants ta know if you can read sign language," Jou said after a minute.  
  
"No, sorry. Why do you talk with your hands?" Mokuba asked.  
  
A microsecond later, it clicked.

.  
  
"Are you a deaf-mute?" Jou blinked, and Yuugi laughed.  
  
It was completely silent, and actually a little eerie.

.  
  
"Nah, my buddy here's not deaf. Um, ain't you with somebody Mokuba?"  
  
"My big brother - but he's around here somewhere looking for me," Mokuba said with a laugh. "Did you come to see the new exhibit?"  
  
Yuugi nodded before Jou could answer.  
  
"I saw some of it - its really great! Let me show you!"  
  
He grabbed them by their hands and pulled them along, with surprising strength for a ten-year-old. Just as they disappeared from sight, a tall boy with brown hair and cold blue eyes wandered by, looking for something - or someone…  
  
…


	13. Cloudy with a chance of

Hah! I actually went out of my way to update fairly quickly!

And yet I feel strangely empty inside...

Disclaimer: See other chapters

* * *

…

"See? I told you it was awesome!"  
  
Mokuba pointed to the large stone carving on display while Jou and Yuugi stared at it. All sorts of strange artifacts were hanging around, displays of relics from all over the world. Yuugi looked at each carefully before moving to the next, hoping one of these held the clue they needed.  
  
This had been Jou's idea, after looking in the paper, and Mai had agreed it to be a sound one. What better place to figure out where rare and powerful artifacts could be than a museum? Yuugi wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he felt confident that he would know it when he saw it.  
  
Jou and Mokuba wandered ahead of him without realizing, checking out the rare finds. As Yuugi finished examining a piece of pottery, he was turning to follow when something caught his eye.  
  
In a corner he saw a stairwell, out of the way and not part of the main exhibit. Curiosity getting the better of him, Yuugi walked down the stairs. He found he was in a storeroom of some kind, and there were plenty of things here not on public display.  
  
That alone should have sent him back upstairs, but then he saw - it. A weird stone tablet sitting on a table, carved with weird markings and symbols, and depicting scenes of strange people doing strange things.  
.

.  
"I see you have not hesitated to find the rarest item of our collection," said a voice from behind him.  
  
Totally freaked, Yuugi jumped and turned.  
.

.  
Behind him was standing a woman he had never seen before. She had long black hair, tanned skin, blue eyes, and was wearing a tan dress. She seemed to be smiling at his panic.  
  
(**Sorry**) he signed, not really expecting her to understand him, but to his continued shock she merely signed back, (**No harm has been done**.)  
  
(**What - how -)** Yuugi's fingers got caught in themselves as he tried to sign.  
  
"I am fluent in many tongues, not all of them spoken aloud," the woman said.  
  
Then she turned back to the huge carving.  
  
"If you have a question, please feel free to ask," she said.  
  
With that she turned and walked off. A thoroughly confused Yuugi decided to give the thing one last glance before going back, and peered at the pictures.  
  
Somehow, those figures with the wings and that writing looked awfully familiar - Yuugi's jaw dropped as he got the second shock of his life in the same amount of minutes. Those people with wings looked like angels.  
  
And since what people thought were angels were really Ban-Ile like Yami…fishing in a pocket, Yuugi pulled out the pendant. Yes, the writing was the same kind of weird writing.  
  
Putting it away, he spotted the lady nearby and ran over.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
(**Where is that from**) Yuugi nearly demanded.  
  
"It was discovered in an ancient crypt, a Chinese one I believe. On the edges of Hong Kong, if my memory serves. Does that help?"  
  
(**Yes yes thank you**) Yuugi signed hurriedly before darting back upstairs.  
.

.  
Looking around for the others, he spotted Jou's head nearby and made his way to it.  
  
"Yuug, der you are! We been lookin' all over for ya!"  
  
(**Sorry. Where's Mokuba**)  
  
"Over der, I think."  
  
They threaded through the crowd to where the black-haired boy was looking.  
  
"Neva mind, I found him!"  
  
"Where'd you go?"  
  
(**Found the basement. And a clue. We need to get to China**)  
  
"You gotta be kiddin' me, Yuug. Why do we want ta go ta China?"  
  
"China?"  
  
Mokuba blinked.  
  
"Well, maybe Mai can get us some tickets ta China, but we should go. The museum's closing up anyway."  
  
They wandered back to the front doors, but as they walked a tall man with sunglasses began to walk a little too close behind them. Then several more assorted thugs closed in around them.  
  
"Hey, d'yeh mind? It's getting too crowded heah," Jou said as one of them jostled him.  
  
Yuugi heard one of them say something that sounded just like 'Grab the runts,' before they did just that. Things went from slow and easygoing to wildly chaotic way too fast.  
  
"Put me down!"  
  
"Hey man, what'dya think yer doin'!"  
  
Yuugi squirmed in his captor's grip, kicking back with his feet until they made a connection with something that made the guy collapse with a squeak of pain. Then he tried leaping on the guy holding Mokuba. Unfortunately, all that accomplished was to let the guy get a decent grip on him.  
  
"Let us go you big jerk! BIG BROTHER!"  
  
Mokuba had a set of lungs on him, and one of the people on their way to see the spectacle suddenly lunged through the crowd and tackled the thug that was just getting up from his encounter from Yuugi.  
  
It was too late - as the other men kept everybody busy the guy holding a pair of kicking and biting boys got outside. There, another man hit them both over the head before they hustled to their van and took off.

.  
Back inside, all but one of the men had managed to get away. The last one was currently unconscious, having been hit by a metal briefcase in the head. Ignoring him for now, Jou and the briefcase wielder raced outside to see the van racing around the corner with the tires squealing.  
  
"No, Mokuba!"  
  
Then Jou found his eyes locked in contact with a pair that was frozen and cold.  
  
"This is your fault - if you hadn't gotten in my way I could of rescued my brother!"  
  
"Hey," Jou protested, "Dey took my pal Yuugi too, not dat you care, and - wait, did you say brother?"  
  
"Yes, Mokuba is my brother. And furthermore, you -"  
  
"Jounouchi, what sort of mess did you get yourself into this time?"  
  
Mai arrived just in time to break up the fight that was looming.  
  
"Mai! Dose creeps took Yuug! Oh, and dey took Mokuba too. Dis is his brother."  
  
"It's none of your business," the elder Kaiba snapped.  
  
"Why would they take both of them?"  
  
"Probably for a ransom - this has happened before. Your little friend was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."  
  
"Dis happens ta ya before, and you let yer brother out inta public? On his own?"  
  
"Of course not, I have access to all the security cameras here. And when that thug inside wakes up it'll be easy to go right after them."  
  
Kaiba walked back inside without another word.  
  
"What a charming personality for a billionaire," Mai remarked as they followed him.  
  
…


	14. Raindrops keep falling on my

Und here is the next chapter for you. We finally find out what happened to Yami! YAAAAY!  
  
(blinks)  
  
Wow, I'm more sleep-deprived than I thought...  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh  
  
Claimer: All the stuff I make up in this fic is mine all mine!!!

* * *

…  
  
Not longer after but in a different place entirely, a pair of dark and sinister shapes carried a limp burden down a dark hallway. Entering a room with a few small cages hanging chained to the ceiling, they paused just after the only occupied one to unload and lock it inside.  
  
As they left, one stopped to rattle the occupied cage, and laughed as the occupant glared at him before moving along. It was who-knows how many hours later before a set of crimson eyes opened with a groan of pain.  
  
"It's about time you woke up; I thought you'd gone and died on me," drawled a voice.  
  
Yami pushed himself up, wings flaring only to strike cold metal bars. Startled as he was at his sudden confinement, it was the voice's owner that really shocked him.  
  
"…'Kura? Is that you?"  
  
"No, it's the bloody human tooth fairy. Of course it's me!"  
  
.  
.  
.  
.  
In the next cage another Ban-Ile was leaning against the bars. White hair flared from an angular face sporting a pair of pointed eyes, their brown color so dark it could have been mistaken for black. They were glaring good-naturedly back at Yami.  
  
"Long time no see, Yami. I was beginning to think you'd been killed."  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you, Bakura," Yami replied.  
  
"Feh. Looking the way you do, I can see it wasn't from lack of trying. And under what rock did you find those - garments?"  
  
Yami frowned. He ached all over, and there were several tears in his nice leather clothes.  
  
"It looks perfectly fine when its intact," he shot back.  
  
.  
.  
.  
.  
For a while, they just insulted each other back and forth, a manner reminiscent of more carefree days. But then the sound of crunching footsteps heralded the approach of several demons. The biggest, and apparently the one in charge, stuck his face right up the bars of Yami's cage.  
  
"New flitter. Good! 'Nother flitter for playing with. Lady say, no kill flitter. Break arms, break legs, but no kill. Time to eat," it said.  
  
Yami couldn't keep from making a face at the demon's bad breath.  
  
"Oh look, he likes you," Bakura said with a grin.  
  
"How lovely," Yami said, then after a careful moment of thought, he spat right into the demon's eye.  
  
It wasn't the smartest move apparently, since the demon instantly grabbed the cage and shook it hard. After getting his head banged against metal, Yami felt woozy.  
  
"Funny flitter," it snarled, "Funny flitter want to be funny, see how funny after three moons no food. Feed other flitter," it ordered the demons.  
  
Another demon dumped something into Bakura's cage before they left.  
  
"Ow," Yami muttered.  
  
"I could of told you that. Oh look, a sewer rat, my favorite," Bakura said as he held up the dead rat he had just been given.  
  
"You're not really going to eat that are you?"  
  
The other Ban-Ile gave him a withering look.  
  
"Considering the alternative is starvation and an untimely demise, I've swallowed my pride."  
  
Yami averted his gaze as the sounds of ripping and munching echoed.  
  
"I think I'm going to be sick," he said.  
  
"For the love of…"  
  
The back half of a rat was dumped onto the cage floor.  
  
"It's boiled you baka. Eat before I force-feed you."  
  
"…I'm glad you're still alive, Bakura."  
  
"Yeah, me too."  
  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
As sensation slowly returned, Yuugi could feel the floor he was lying on bouncing a little. It was metallic, which made him think of a car. He was sluggishly processing this when the jolts and bumps stopped.  
  
A flood of bright light hurt his eyes as someone grabbed him around the waist and carried him like a sack of potatoes. While this was going on, his synapses were busily firing, getting up to speed.  
  
"Just put them together," a voice said, and there was more being carried before he was dropped onto a wooden floor and left alone.  
  
Where was he? He remembered the Game Shop…Grandpa was going to see a friend on a dig, which was good since then he wouldn't have to explain Yami -  
  
He paused. Yami - demons - Mai - pendent - museum - something smashing into the back of his head…  
  
"C'mon, wake up," someone was saying and shaking him.  
  
Yuugi opened his eyes and sat up. Mokuba looked relieved.  
  
"You gave me a heart attack! I thought you were dead or something!"  
  
His hands twitched before he recalled Mokuba couldn't read sign language, and instead Yuugi settled for an exaggerated head-grabbing.  
  
"Those jerks hit us pretty hard, didn't they?"  
  
While Mokuba sat down next to him, Yuugi looked around. They were in a small room. There was a window with light streaming through it, plus a chair and a bed with a mattress. The walls, ceiling, and door were made of the same kind of wood.  
  
How much time had passed since they'd been in the museum? Yuugi thought back to the days before he learned - and taught his friends - sign language.  
  
Mokuba looked at him in confusion when Yuugi pointed to his wrist. Did he want to know what time it was? No…  
  
"How long have we been here?"  
  
Yuugi nodded.  
  
"Well, I think I got put in here a few minutes ago, but it looks like we've been gone a day on the outside."  
  
Yuugi nodded thoughtfully, then got up.  
  
"I tried the window, its locked with a padlock."  
  
Still, Yuugi looked outside. It was a small window that showed a yard at grass level. There was early morning sunlight making the dew shine. It was quite beautiful really.  
  
Yuugi sat down on the chair as the door opened. Mokuba jumped up and away from it. A man was standing there, wearing a business suit and sunglasses.  
  
"What do you want," Mokuba hissed from his safe perch behind Yuugi. The question was ignored.  
  
"Bring Mokuba to the dining hall," the man ordered another pair of men, and they entered the room.  
  
There was a brief but wild struggle, with the first man holding Yuugi back as Mokuba was dragged kicking and swearing out into the hallway. Then the tri-color haired boy was dumped back inside and the door was relocked.  
  
'Ow,' he thought to himself as he got off the floor.  
  
… 


	15. And now for something completely differe

Hee hee, my fic is loved! It makes me feel all warm and tingly inside...  
  
...Or that could be the five-bean burrito I had for dinner. Whatever.  
  
Disclaimer: Does not own Yu-Gi-Oh  
Claimer: Owns plotline and everything made up

* * *

…  
  
Yuugi wondered why they had taken Mokuba to the 'dining hall'.  
  
He also wondered why this had happened in the first place, what Mai and Jou were doing right now, if Yami was okay wherever he was…the little room suddenly seemed so much more confining then it had been a minute ago.  
  
Yuugi decided to look outside the window again. There was a small surprise for him there, a little bird that was pecking at the dirt. It took no notice of it's silent observer while it hopped from one spot to another.  
  
Seeing that bit of normalcy made Yuugi feel better, and he leaned against the wall while still standing on the chair, not really thinking of anything in particular.  
  
.  
.  
.  
.  
Then he heard the voice.  
  
((Food good food good my food good!))  
  
.  
.  
.  
Someone was…singing?  
  
((Food good yeah food!))  
  
.  
.  
.  
Someone was - someone with a very small vocabulary. Yuugi looked around the room, but instead had the most incredible discovery of his life when he looked back outside.  
  
The little bird was chirping a song. He could hear the chirps. But as it chirped, he could also hear words.  
  
'There's only one explanation for this,' Yuugi thought to himself, 'I have gone totally mental.'  
  
But that didn't sound right - so to speak. So instead he decided to disprove it.  
  
'Now, why would I think I could understand a bird?'  
  
He sighed as his thoughts revealed nothing, the sound rather high and whistling… The bird stopped singing.  
  
.  
.  
.  
((Who there?))  
  
Yuugi blinked.  
  
((I heard you, who in there?))  
  
.  
.  
.  
The bird had mistaken his sigh for birdsong? Glad he was alone, Yuugi threw caution to the winds. He tried to speak aloud for the first time in many years.  
  
It came out just as he remembered - a sort of chirping noise.  
  
.  
.  
.  
.  
(((Hello?)))  
  
The bird fluttered over.  
  
((Hello!))  
  
This was nuts! He was actually talking to birds!  
  
((Who you? ))  
  
(((I'm Yuugi.)))  
  
The bird went right up to the window and got a good look at him.  
  
((You no flyer, how you speak flyertongue?))  
  
(((I always talked like this.)))  
  
((Human that speak flyertongue! What next, walking flowers?))  
  
.  
.  
.  
The bird paused to preen.  
  
.  
.  
.  
.  
((What you doing in there?))  
  
(((I can't get out. I'm trapped in here.)))  
  
((Other human put you in cage? You human all crazy!))  
  
Yuugi tried not to laugh - this was actually pretty funny.  
  
(((Can you help us escape?)))  
  
((Sure. You speak flyertongue, you flyer too. Even though you no fly.))  
  
The bird thought that remark was hilarious and chirped with laughter.  
  
((I be back soon,)) it said before taking off.  
  
.  
.  
.  
.  
Yuugi was glad for the break - his throat was sore now, not used to be used after such long disuse. The bird did return shortly.  
  
((Bad mess this is. Big wall, stop you quick. Go straight from here, find perch-place. You wall-walk, Yuugi-Flyer-No-Fly?))  
  
(((Wall-walk?)))  
  
((Walk on four feet up wall. I see human do this.))  
  
He knew what the bird was talking about then.  
  
(((Yes. What's on the other side of the wall?)))  
  
((Tiny human-forest. Then human-black-river, then many human-stone-nest. You find now?))  
  
(((Yes. Thank you very much!)))  
  
The bird chirped a happy goodbye before flying off.  
  
.  
.  
.  
.  
Yuugi sat down. How were they going to get outside? His thoughts were jarred when the door opened and Mokuba was shoved inside. Yuugi got up and went right to him, curiosity and worry fighting for control of his expression.  
  
"Those jerks had my big brother on the phone," Mokuba explained to him, anger on his features.  
  
"They wanted him to pay a ransom, but he wouldn't deal with them unless he knew I was all right."  
  
Mokuba smiled a little.  
  
"He got mad when he heard me insulting the suits - he yelled at me to watch my mouth, and it nearly deafened the guy holding the phone!"  
  
Both of them laughed.  
  
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Mokuba sobered after a minute.  
  
"They're supposed to exchange us for the money tonight, but I'll bet anything they're going to just hand you over, and demand more money to get me back as well. Those no-good sons of -"  
  
Yuugi covered his ears, distracting Mokuba from the curse word he was about to say.  
  
Mokuba was right, of course - this had happened to him a couple of times already. His brother was a billionaire, how Mokuba didn't mention, and everybody wanted his money.  
  
Just because he was a teenager, and just one year older then Yuugi, they thought it would be easy. While Mokuba filled him in on the details he had overheard, Yuugi lay down on the bed on his stomach.  
  
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Something poked him in the chest, so he rolled over and looked. It was the feather, which he had tied to a string and decided to wear as a necklace. It had been tucked inside his shirt this entire time.  
  
"What's that Yuugi?"  
  
Mokuba asked as Yuugi pulled it out.  
  
"Is that feather glowing? It must be, like, radioactive or something!"  
  
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Yuugi rolled his eyes, and Mokuba grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Hey, I've never seen a feather like that before, give me a break."  
  
Yuugi let Mokuba hold it, but the ten-year old soon dropped it.  
  
"OW! It bit me!"  
  
He had pricked his fingers on it.  
  
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Yuugi felt the edge gingerly - still razor sharp.  
  
"With a feather like that, I bet you could pick locks or something…"  
  
Mokuba trailed off as Yuugi used the edge to cut into the wooden bedpost with ease.  
  
… 


	16. Breakout

Hey ya'll. Here's the next chappy for you.  
  
Would stay and talk, but am actually posting this instead of doing schoolwork...nothing good lasts forever, y'know.  
  
Disclaimer: Does not own Yu-Gi-Oh  
  
Claimer: Owns Ban-Ile as a race. And the plot.

* * *

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…  
  
The guard outside looked into the room. Both boys were asleep in the unlit room, lying on the bed.  
  
"Heh," he said to the other guard, "They're out like lights. We can take a break for an hour."  
  
"What if the boss finds out?"  
  
"C'mon, Kaiba won't be here for an hour and a half. What could happen?"  
  
"Okay then," the second guard said as they locked the boys in and wandered off.  
  
Back inside the room, the not-so-asleep boys opened their eyes.  
  
"We have an hour. I hope that feather of yours works on metal," Mokuba whispered as he sat by the door to listen for the guards.  
  
Yuugi climbed on the chair and found the padlock. It was rusty, but at least the window hinges looked well-oiled.  
  
He tried picking the lock first, but not being too great with locks that failed. So he sawed at the metal loop and sure enough, the metal gave. It was slow going, fifteen minutes passed before it finally cut through.  
  
Yuugi slipped the padlock into his pocket and tried to open the window. It was jammed, but it opened wide enough for them. One after another, they squeezed through.  
  
"Now where," Mokuba whispered as quietly as he could.  
  
Remembering the bird's instructions, Yuugi pointed straight ahead.  
  
"If you think so," Mokuba said as they ran low to the ground.  
  
Yuugi had known a lot better then to try and tell Mokuba he could talk to birds, and just pretended to have picked their direction at random. It seemed like ages before they finally reached the wall.  
  
"Good call Yuugi - look, there's a place to climb over," Mokuba said and began climbing up a jutting area.  
  
Yuugi followed, and after getting stale bird droppings on his hands he figured out why it was called the 'perch-place'.  
  
They got over the wall and dropped to the other side, just as a alarm began wailing.  
  
"Oh man, we gotta get out of here!"  
  
Yuugi just grabbed Mokuba's hand and they ran into the darkened forest just beyond the walls. .  
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"I'm still trying to figure out how you managed to talk me into this," Kaiba said as their limo drove to the exchange area.  
  
"C'mon hon. You mean you actually don't think they'll try and double-cross you?"  
  
Mai leaned back in her seat, looking like she owned it.  
  
"Don't insult me," he snapped.  
  
"Ain't we touchy," Jou muttered under his breath.  
  
After a great deal of arguing, Seto Kaiba had agreed to bring the two of them along. It was obvious that the crooks would try to pass Yuugi off as Mokuba in order to get more money from Kaiba, and they refused to let their friend be used that way.  
  
Just as the limo was pulling past a park, though, a loud siren went off somewhere in the depths of the trees.  
  
"What da? Is somebody throwing a party in der?"  
  
Kaiba leaned forward, and ordered the driver to stop. Just then a pair of small figures bolted directly in front of the car, and would have kept running if Jou hadn't stuck his head out of the window.  
  
"Yo! You two need a lift?"  
  
All three of them got out of the car as the figures skidded to a halt. It was Mokuba and Yuugi, and they were winded from running before, but they still ran over to their family and friends.  
  
"Oh, Seto it was awful and I missed you so much -"  
  
Yuugi finished being hugged by Mai long enough to sign something Kaiba didn't recognize right away.  
  
"Dey're followin' you?"  
  
"No doubt they aren't happy with these two getting away," Mai pointed out unnecessarily.  
  
Kaiba nodded. The five of them got back in and Kaiba told the driver to take them home and quick.  
  
"Se-to," Mokuba whined, "I'm SICK of being stuck at home!"  
  
"Well until these people give up it's the only place you get to go." .  
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"Until they give up?" Mai asked.  
  
"Most groups of petty thugs, after they try something like this, receive a one-way trip to the penitentiary," Kaiba grudgingly explained.  
  
"This group's different. They've been trying stunts like this for a few months now."  
  
"The last one was dumb enough to try and mug you, weren't they Big Brother," Mokuba said.  
  
"Is da guy even still alive?"  
  
Jou glanced nervously at Kaiba while he spoke.  
  
"I think so - although the last time I heard about him, whoever he is, he was still in that coma." .  
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Kaiba enjoyed the shudder that the blond boy couldn't control. Soon they pulled past a high, thick wall and up a huge driveway.  
  
"You live in DER!?"  
  
"Haven't you been paying attention? Or do you think a rich guy would live in an apartment?"  
  
Jou glared at Mai while Yuugi just stared at the mansion.  
  
… 


	17. Oh, a Hunting we will go

I'm so glad everybody's enjoying my fic!  
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This chapter brought to you by: support, from reviewers like you  
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Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh  
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Claimer: I own everything I made up for this fic!  
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* * *

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"Wonderful job, even with the EXTREMELY large delay," a voice crooned out of the darkness with more then a little sarcasm.  
  
"There's just one thing you overlooked - the Ban-Ile in question no longer possesses the First Key! IMBECILE!"  
  
Anzu the she-demon gritted her teeth as a fiery whip soared out of the dark to land soundly across her folded wings.  
  
"I beg for my Hive-Queen's forgiveness," she said very softy.  
  
"Paugh, anything that begs is an insult to its race," the voice hissed.  
  
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"Go back to the city where you found him, and find the Key! As for the Ban-Ile, we will…ask him…where he has left his little toy."  
  
The voice trailed off into a leisurely purr as Anzu crawled away, the wounds from the whip smoking. This would delay her even further, but in the end was going to be worth it.  
  
She sneered, now that there was no one here who could see it. It was going to be ALL worth it…  
  
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Kaiba watched on the security cameras as Mokuba hung out with the other two kids. That Mai woman had left to get a few things from home, or so she claimed, and Mokuba had completely balked on letting these two new friends of his leave.  
  
So now they were playing a card game, with the blond goofball translating the short mute's hand signs for Mokuba.  
  
"I play this in defense mode," Mokuba said as he put a card facedown and horizontal.  
  
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Yuugi put a card face up, flipped a second one, and made a few quick gestures with his hands.  
  
"He says he's using Stop Defense on yer card and den he's attacking ya with his Celtic Guardian," Jou said.  
  
"Aw man, that totally wipes out my life points!"  
  
Mokuba laughed.  
  
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Kaiba watched the duel with some interest. The name of the game was Duel Monsters, a hit card game that had recently taken the world by storm.  
  
Kaiba himself was an expert duelist, having never been beaten even once. Mokuba showed some talent, and dueling was the only way to keep him from constantly complaining about his restriction to the house.  
  
But this Yuugi was a formidable player himself.  
  
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"I'm back! Did you miss me boys?"  
  
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Kaiba frowned as Mai walked in. If she lived where she had said she had, she should have taken longer to get back. Unless someone drove her here - but then that would have been reported instantly to him.  
  
Something didn't smell right, and he walked in long strides to the room where the others were sitting.  
  
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"Well, I'm not sure if I can afford tickets roundtrip, but I have enough for all three of us to go to Hong Kong," she was saying.  
  
"There's just one thing I want to ask you Yuugi - why do you want to go to China so badly?"  
  
Yuugi hesitated, trying to figure out what to say exactly with Mokuba right next to him, and Kaiba felt something occur to him.  
  
"So, the three of you are leaving the country?" He said as he walked in unannounced.  
  
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Jou jumped in shock, but Yuugi just looked at him. Kaiba suppressed a frown.  
  
'Did he hear me coming?'  
  
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Yuugi gestured, slowly.  
  
"Well, if it's a 'private' matter…" Kaiba answered, a little sarcastically.  
  
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Mokuba seemed to be calculating something in his head as Mai and Jou started on his older brother. To him, the problem was this:  
  
Yuugi and his friends wanted to leave the country.  
  
He wanted to leave the house.  
  
If he got Seto to help them leave the country, he could leave the country - and by relation, the house - too.  
  
It was very sound logic to him.  
  
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"Big brother, if they go to China can I come too?"  
  
He blurted it out, interrupting the other's argument.  
  
"Mokuba -"  
  
"Absolutely NOT!"  
  
"Well, if I was in China then those goons wouldn't be able to get me so easy!"  
  
"Kid's got a definite point," Mai said.  
  
Kaiba growled a little in the back of his throat, then seemed to mull the possibilities over. This would definitely help with their personal situation, but he wasn't about to send his little brother out on some crazy expedition.  
  
"Well?"  
  
Jou looked Kaiba straight in the eye.  
  
"If, and mind you, only if, I allow Mokuba to go with you people," Kaiba said slowly, "Then I want to know EXACTLY what all of you are up to."  
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It took about two hours to explain everything, and even then Kaiba didn't seem all that convinced. Mokuba, on the other hand, ate it up.  
  
"You guys got chased by demons? That sure beats guys in suits - that is SO cool," the ten-year-old sighed.  
  
"Well," Jou said, "It ain't all its cracked up ta be, really…"  
  
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"Where on earth did the three of you concoct that load of bull," Kaiba said finally. "Demons and magic artifacts - give me a break. Do I look that gullible to you?"  
  
"Hey, I'll have you know dat dis is all true! Even though you wouldn't know magic if it bit ya on da ass, 'cause ye're such a stuck-up jerk, there's no reason fer us ta lie about dis!"  
  
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Kaiba snorted in disgust.  
  
"And where's your proof? A guy with wings that isn't around, you expect me to -"  
  
"But Seto, I saw the feather! You show him, Yuugi!"  
  
Yuugi pulled the feather out of hiding, and rather reluctantly handed it over. He hoped that Kaiba wouldn't end up damaging it somehow, Yami's feather was very special to him.  
  
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Kaiba ran his finger along the edge. Hmm, this thing was sharp…he pricked his finger on the tip as he tested it. For some reason, this oddly sharp feather sort of reminded him about something, something he'd used to know quite well but had long since forgotten about…  
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."Well, is dat proof enough for ya?"  
  
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Kaiba snapped from his temporary day-dream at the sound of the blond goofball's voice.  
  
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"I still doubt your story extremely highly," he began, "But."  
  
"But? But what?"  
  
"Mokuba and I will both accompany you on this little escapade of yours - and let me make one thing clear, that's only because this will help our personal situation - do we have an understanding?"  
  
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He handed the feather back as he spoke. The silent kid signed back, Okay, and the blond translated it for Mokuba.  
  
"In that case, Kaiba," the Mai woman said, "You'll have to provide airline tickets for four."  
  
"Four? Ain't you coming wit us Mai?"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
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"I can't explain it to you all, but I have to stay here. Oh, knock off the sour face Katsuya, SOMEBODY'S going to have to explain to the school why you two are skipping the country."  
  
"Oh yeah…den I guess dat you have ta get us da tickets den, Kaiba."  
  
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"Hardly. We'll be taking my personal jet."  
  
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"Whoa! You got a jet? Dat's awesome!"  
  
"No offense Jou," Mokuba said as he jumped up, "But you're a little slow on the whole 'billionaire' concept here."  
  
… 


	18. Almost there, but not yet

I'm so glad everyone seems to be enjoying this little venture into my brain and its wonderful ideas!  
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Let's go for another little dip, shall we?  
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Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh not owned by me  
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Claimer: Ban-Ile, the demons, and other made-up stuff belongs to me  
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Yami knew something unpleasant was in store for him when the guard demon dragged him from his cage. Bakura gave him a look that was almost sympathetic, which set off major alarm bells in Yami's mind, and so he fought against the guard every step of the way. Two more had to come and help their fellow before they finally managed to get him moving.  
  
The room where he was taken was dark, very dark. It felt like he was entering an underground human tomb, which didn't help Yami's state of mind at all. He knew why he was being brought here.  
  
The guards lead him between a pair of posts, grabbed some chains that were attached to them and secured Yami's wrists and ankles before leaving as quickly as they could.  
  
Yami took a deep breath, released it, and calmed himself as he stood tall and straight. They weren't going to cow him that easily!  
  
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"So, the little Ban-Ile called Yami has graciously come to visit us at last…"  
  
The voice came out of the dark, rather close, and it was a female voice Yami didn't recognize. At least that meant it wasn't that bitch Anzu, he thought before sensing a scaly hand alighting on his left wing.  
  
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"You Ban-Ile have such PRETTY wings," the voice crooned in his ear as the hand traced up and down the shining appendage. Yami shuddered involuntarily.  
  
"What do you want from me, demon?"  
  
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He kept his voice as steady and as bland as possible - a female demon could be worse than a male when she felt provoked, or even for the fun of it. As long as he didn't try to provoke her, this could even end with his body still intact.  
  
"Such a suspicious little fellow," the voice continued to croon in it's sickeningly-sweet way, "So feisty…someone might think you had something to hide with an attitude like that…"  
  
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As she spoke, the demon-ness continued to trace his wing with her finger, teasing the feathers on his wingtip and increasing the level of discomfort. Wings, for both races, were very sensitive areas one normally never touched without permission. To do what this she-demon was doing was the Ban-Ile equivalent of a human walking up to a complete stranger on the street and GROPING them.  
  
'She wants me to tell her to stop,' Yami thought frantically as the stroking kept up, 'She knows what's she's doing exactly…she wants me to -'  
  
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"You've cost us many trackers and warriors, Little Ban-Ile…"  
  
As she spoke, the demoness ceased her movements and instead got a grip on his wing, right around the area it had been broken before. Her claws sank into it, between the feathers, and Yami hissed.  
  
"And then, when you finally do come by, you don't even bring me a gift!"  
  
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The hand twisted. Yami tried to suppress the gasp at the sudden pain and only half-succeeded.  
  
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"Such a rude thing to do when you go to greet a Hive-Queen," the voice finished as it's owner stuck her face out to rest on Yami's shoulder, her claws still sunken deeply into Yami's wing.  
  
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Yami leaned away from the long-snouted features as panic rose in him. With that little revelation of status, what little chance he had of getting through this mostly safe evaporated. Most female demons could be bargained with in this sort of situation - Hive-Queens were the exception. Mates to the Dread Lord himself, they were the be-all end-all of demons.  
  
Yami swallowed nervously as her tongue stuck out in the parody of a snake's tongue, the tip dangerously close to his left earlobe.  
  
"Where's that little trinket you used to wear, eh? A bit of gold would set off your wings SO nicely…"  
  
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With the mention of the pedant, everything snapped into focus again. Yami gritted his teeth in disgust - he'd heard about how these elite she-demons conducted their 'interrogations', and the reputation was clearly well-earned, but the way he'd simply panicked was pathetic!  
  
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"Get away from me, you fucking sadistic BITCH," he snarled between clenched teeth.  
  
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Ban-Ile," she purred, and sharply tugged his wing up, the opposite of the direction it was meant to bend.  
  
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She increased the force as he tried to pull it out of her grip, his other wing flailing but unable to reach her in her current position. When he tried to move away from her, she reached out with her other hand and wrenched his right arm behind his back, twisting it until it went nearly to the point of breaking.  
  
He cried out with the pain, and heard her satisfied chuckle.  
  
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"I'll only ask you nicely this one time, Ban-Ile - the Key, where is it!"  
  
"Gone," he gasped, "I don't - have it!"  
  
"I know that you imbecile," she hissed, "Where have you hidden it? Who has it now? Tell me!"  
  
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"I'd be dead and cold and buried in the GROUND before I would ever tell you ANYTHING!"  
  
"Isn't that a pity."  
  
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/CRACK/  
  
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Yami screamed as his wing-bones shattered. Adjusting her grip, the Hive-Queen now pulled the wing outwards as she said, "Last chance, Ban-Ile. Where. Is. It. Tell me!"  
  
"N-Never!"  
  
/POP/  
  
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Yami screamed again as she dislocated the broken wing in her grip. When she suddenly dropped him afterwards, he sagged to the ground, panting from the overload of pain in his system.  
  
"Feisty," the Hive-Queen said, once again using that crooning voice, "And such a pity you had to be so stubborn - that would have been so much easier for you if you'd just told me."  
  
Yami tensed as he heard the tell-tale crack of a whip, and caught the smell of fire.  
  
"Now don't you fret - I won't feel a single thing…"  
  
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Yuugi woke with a shudder, before wondering why he was shuddering. A chill raced up and down his spine before the feeling faded.  
  
'I hope everyone else is still okay,' he thought as he looked out the plane window.  
  
They were on-route to Hong Kong in one of Seto Kaiba's private jets, not a very long hop but there was a bit of a time difference so Yuugi had purposely dozed off to make certain he would be rested by the time they got there.  
  
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Next to him, Jou snored away. A few rows back, Yuugi could see the top of Kaiba's head. Mokuba was presumably next to his older brother, and the younger boy's snores could be heard, but Kaiba seemed to be awake.  
  
In fact, he seemed to be working on something. The constant clicking of fingers on computer keys was coming from back there as well.  
  
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Sighing to himself, Yuugi idly glanced up to the closed door separating the cockpit from the rest of the plane before turning to gaze out the window again.  
  
They'd left after dusk, but there was a big moon out tonight - almost completely full. Combined with the few scattered clouds in the area and the wide sea beneath them, it was a truly awesome view.  
  
Yuugi slipped into a daydream about soaring through the clouds like a bird, one so realistic he almost completely forgot about being a simple human in a plane until Jou started talking in his sleep. The sound of his friend's fantasies brought Yuugi back to reality.  
  
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"Mmm…dat's da kind I like…with extra cheese…and don't skip da pickles…"  
  
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'He's dreaming about pizza again,' Yuugi thought, shaking his head in amusement.  
  
The sound of keys had hesitated briefly, but apparently Kaiba had decided to ignore the blond's mumblings. Yuugi, on the other hand, knew that Jou's dream was just getting warmed up.  
  
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"Hey - dat's MY chicken! Damn dos clowns," Jou yelled, still very much asleep.  
  
Yuugi stifled his giggle - he and Honda had once recorded everything Jou had said during one of these dreams, and the two of them had decided afterwards that Jou was afraid of circus performers taking away his food.  
  
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Jou, of course, had freaked out when he'd listened to the tape, and denied ever saying any of those things in his life.  
  
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Feeling watched, Yuugi turned to see Kaiba glaring at them. The teenage billionaire didn't like his peace and quiet being disturbed, apparently. Judging that their destination was getting pretty close now, Yuugi pinched Jou's nose shut and waited. Aside from the cold-water trick Honda had devised, this was the only way to wake up Jou.  
  
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Soon, an indignant Jou was awake and spluttering.  
  
"Agh - hey, what da heck was dat for Yuug!"  
  
(Just saving you from the clowns that haunt your dreams,) Yuugi signed with a grin.  
  
"Hey, dat ain't true! I do NOT dream about -"  
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(Shh. Mokuba's asleep)  
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"Oh," Jou whispered, "Sorry. Are we there yet?"  
  
(I think so almost)  
  
"I'm gonna go use da john den," Jou said, still whispering as he got up.  
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The sound of Kaiba's fingers on his computer keys started up again, only to jerk to a halt as Jou began whistling on his way to the back of the plane. Yuugi was almost certain he could hear Kaiba's teeth grinding as he went back to looking out the window…  
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Anzu the she-demon landed in a deserted and ignored back alley in the depths of the human city of Domino, and for a moment just stood there. It had been a long time since she'd stayed in a human city for so long. And back then, the 'cities' were nothing compared to this.  
  
It wasn't something Anzu often dwelled on, and a fact she tried often to deny, a dark and dirty secret of her own creation.  
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Because once, she'd been as simple as the people of this city.  
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Once…she'd been human too.  
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As she would be for this mission - a demon couldn't wander around a human-filled city looking for clues to a magical artifact. She concentrated, feeling the disgusting sensation of her demonitity slipping away, sliding into whatever hole it hid in during the transformation.  
  
Once the transformation was complete, she examined herself in a nearby puddle.  
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Regular brown eyes, stringy brown hair, nondescript clothing…boooring. Pathetic weak little body, and to think she'd been trapped in this hideous form for the beginning parts of her life. Good thing that was long past.  
  
Straightening herself out, Anzu headed out of the alley and started hunting. There had been those humans with the Ban-Ile, they were the most likely places to start…  
  
… 


	19. Side trip and the Tent of Doom

… 

"I can't wait to see all the sites! This is great - I've always wanted to visit another country! Ooh look!"

Yuugi stopped himself from gritting his teeth as Mokuba went on and on about the wonders of Hong Kong. Kaiba was leading their little party on a tour of the city, after much persuasion by his younger brother. The older of the two Kaiba brothers had his people looking for archeological digs that were or had been around the city, but Mokuba refused to spend the entire day in their hotel room. Right now, Yuugi wasn't sure who's ramblings were more aggravating - Mokuba's or Jou's.

On second thought…

"Man, check dat out! Dose signs are so weird! Hah hah - look at what dat one's saying! Heh heh! You'd get arrested for saying dat back home! Hee hee - WHOA! What a rack SHE'S got!"

…It was Jou's, hands down, no contest.

"Mokuba, we're heading back to the hotel now," Kaiba announced suddenly.

"Aww, Se-to…one more place? Pleeeeeeeeeeaze?"

"…………Only one."

"Cool! I know the perfect place, and it's right on the way back to the hotel! C'mon, we go this way! Hurry! C'mon! Let's go!"

Kaiba, clearly suffering from fraying nerves, was rubbing his forehead in frustration as he trailed the group. He was probably looking forward to a lot of aspirin when they finally got back. Yuugi sympathized with him - he was used to such antics after knowing Jou for all this time, but back home there was usually Honda nearby to keep the chaos to a minimum. Although Honda had had his share of crazy days…

"Where we headin' now, Mokuba," Jou asked as they turned a few corners and went a few blocks.

"It's this place called 'Bird Street'! It's really famous! There it is, c'mon big brother! You're falling behind!"

"Yeah Kaiba, hurry up!"

Yuugi heard Kaiba muttering a few choice words under his breath, but he barely paid it any attention. Bird Street was just what the name promised, crammed to the brim with birds. Yuugi hadn't forgotten how he'd somehow been able to talk to a sparrow before, but it had sort of faded to the back of his mind since then.

That experience had been rather surreal, but if he needed any proof of it he got a truckload of it dumped into his lap when they entered Bird Street.

((Masters for trade! Masters for trade! You want nice human, come get 'im queek!))

((Gimme dat! It mine! Gimme!))

((Get 'way from my human! Get 'way! Get 'way! Get 'way!))

((What 'chu waitin' fer?))

((Hey! You is beaking!))

Some white doves all in one cage were singing some kind of Chinese drinking song; Yuugi didn't know Chinese. Jou noticed Yuugi's discomfort by this point.

"Hey, you okay Yuug'?"

Yes just a little too loud, Yuugi signed back. It was true, after all.

"Don' worry bout it - you'll get used ta all da birds singin' soon enough! Hey, maybe Kaiba'll buy us some…"

As the blond wandered off to look at prospective birds, Yuugi sidled closer to a cage that was out of earshot of the humans in the Street. A lone bird of unfamiliar species with blue and gray plumage was preening inside it; when it took its face out of its feathers it glared at the human it saw by its cage.

((What you want dirt-hopper? Go 'way! Me not bother with stupid dirt!))

Someone loaded down with a lot of bags rushed by; and one stray bag knocked the cage from it's table. Yuugi caught it before it hit the ground and set it back down gently as the bird cursed a blue streak at the bag's owner.

(((I'm sure it was an accident, he didn't see you,))) Yuugi told the bird.

((&#$! -?! You dirt can talk?! When can stupid dirt speak Flyertongue?!))

Yuugi shrugged.

(((I really don't know - I've always talked like this.)))

The bird looked like it was having a heart attack, before it seemed to remember something.

((Wait, me heard 'bout a dirt that speak Flyertongue…you called Yuugi-Flyer-No-Fly? Dat is you?))

(((A sparrow called me that, but I prefer just Yuugi,))) Yuugi replied, glancing around to make sure no one else was noticing the intense conversation between a boy and a bird.

News must spread fast with birds, because the birds that could hear this conversation were yelling with excitement, ((It da Flyertongue-Dirt! It da Flyertongue-Dirt!)). The other birds didn't believe it, apparently, but those ones wouldn't stop yelling anyway.

((What you doin' all way over here,)) asked the bird Yuugi was talking to, ((You from Fish Islands, why you here?))

(((Looking for someone…he's got wings, and is kinda mysterious, and I want to find him,))) Yuugi said sheepishly, (((Um…why are you in this place…?)))

((Oh yeah - me is being rude - me name is Kikki,)) it said.

Yuugi's mind translated 'Kikki' directly to 'High-Crags-And-Low-Valleys-Make-No-Difference-For-Flying' as Kikki continued, ((And me here because me was being stupid.))

(((How so?)))

((Everyone knows: 'Hanging Seeds you no eat, and you always being free', but me was hungry and me never thought dirt-hoppers be so fast,)) Kikki relayed, ((Me been here for a long long time…would get eaten if me flew home again…but me can no stand being in tiny cage anymore! You is Flyer, you gotta help!))

(((I'll see what I can do,))) Yuugi promised, then turned as the other three of his party walked up.

"Hey Yuug, you been over here for a while, something up?"

Just looking at this one, Yuugi signed, Are we leaving

"Don't cha want a bird? Kaiba's being real generous an' buyin' em," Jou said, seemingly oblivious to the death-glare Kaiba was giving him.

"I didn't see one I wanted, an' neither did Mokuba, but if you see one ya like ya can get it! Ain't dat great?"

Mokuba looked into the cage at Kikki as he asked, "Did you want this one, Yuugi?"

Yuugi nodded, thanking his lucky stars. If this hadn't happened, he would have had to just let Kikki escape and that probably would have gotten them into trouble.

Kaiba paid for the bird, and Yuugi let Kikki out.

Kikki seemed to have made a decision during all of that, because he just fluttered up to Yuugi's shoulder and said, ((Me like you, me think me stay here for 'while. And no cages e'er again!))

"Hey, ain't ya gonna put it in a cage?"

No. He'd never forgive me, Yuugi said with a mysterious smile, baffling Jou to no end.

The blond was used to the few times that Yuugi went all strange, though, and shrugged it off. Kaiba and Mokuba hadn't even noticed, but Kaiba lead the way back to the hotel with renewed vigor and energy.

The night seemed to pass by in an eye blink, and the next morning brought news. Kaiba's men had found only one archeological site near Hong Kong that had ever found the sort of artifacts Yuugi had described - it wasn't being excavated anymore, but Kaiba easily got permission to tour the site.

Jou had been brought along with the strict instructions not to touch anything. Mokuba wasn't interested in an old dig, but since Kaiba wasn't about to leave his younger brother alone at the hotel he was coming too. Kikki rode on Yuugi's shoulder, not really interested in the 'Stupid Dirts that play in the Dirt'.

The site's manager met them at the entrance.

"Mister Kaiba, it is a very great honor to meet you," the man began, but Kaiba cut him off.

"You've arranged the private tour I wanted, right?"

"Of course. It's so wonderful that you and your esteemed companions have taken such interest in our work. We were just about to take our investigations to the next level, which is why we've applied for the government grant as you know. But until then, I am honored to show you what we've found so far."

The site manager first pointed out the huge hole in the ground and began rambling about how the site had been discovered and the major parts of it's excavation - Yuugi had a sneaking suspicion that the man was hoping Kaiba would fund them but unless Mokuba asked him to that wasn't likely - before bringing them to one of the large tents set up on site.

"In here we have many of the relics that were discovered here. Our staff calls this the Tent of Doom, but you know how archeologists are," the director joked.

"Why's it called the Tent of Doom," Mokuba asked, the D-word getting his attention. Maybe Kaiba was going to end up funding the site after all…

"Because, my boy, the people who live in this area claim this place is under a curse," the director told Mokuba gravely, "And because the curse will supposedly fall upon whosoever disturbs the 'treasures' here…those entering into the Tent of Doom will risk just that, Doom! Of course, it's really just a silly superstition. There's absolutely nothing to worry about. Right this way."

Inside the tent, there were many bits and pieces of stone set out all over tables. Most of it looked extremely fragile, and the director confirmed it by saying not to touch anything or jostle the tables too much, if you please. Bits and pieces of the weird writing Yuugi recognized from the tablet and the pendant were on them, but it was all faded away with time and weather.

((Scratchies,)) Kikki chirped into Yuugi's ear, ((Me heard 'bout them once. Me thought scratchies were just story.))

"Is there anything more complete than these," Yuugi heard Kaiba ask the director.

"There was one fully intact tablet…but we no longer have it. The IFAU asked for it for their collection, and they're the ones trying to get us the grant in return for it. Although there's plenty of data on it still here…should I go get it?"

"Please," and when the Director finally left Kaiba was the first one to ask, "What's the IFAU?"

International Foundation of Archeological Understanding, Yuugi supplied, They're always adding new things to their big collection. Grampa calls them a bunch of hopeful well-meaning interfering busybodies

"Well, yer Gramps would know, wouldn't he - say, didn't ya say he was on some dig when we left? In Egypt or someplace like dat?"

Yuugi nodded. Mokuba got interested when he figured out that Yuugi's grandpa was an archeologist. The boy was getting the grasp of some of the words in Sign Language, but Jou was still translating the bulk for him. Kaiba didn't give any indications either way, but Yuugi was pretty sure the brunette knew JSL already. The Director came back then, a double-armful of papers and pictures slowing him down.

"Here we are! Take a look!"

While Jou and Mokuba stared at the photographs, Yuugi passed them over to read the data sheets. Nothing really on what the tablet said, just that it was made from a strange type of rock native to another hemisphere.

"I can't make heads or tales of this thing! It looks like chickens just started peckin' and scratchin' the rock - and dat part looks like a dog was chewin' it!"

"You'd be able to tell, mutt," Kaiba muttered, then hid his amusement as Jou looked up.

When the blond failed to realize who had made the smart remark, Kaiba had to visibly repress a smirk. Kikki thought it was funny as hell, and the Director gave the chuckling bird an odd look before turning back to the human guests.

"It's a whole new language, you see," he said with excitement, "It took our team weeks to translate it. The first part happens to be a legend of some sort, and the second sounds like some kind of history. We all think it's very exciting."

"I'd like to see a copy of that, if you don't mind," Kaiba said.

"Certainly! Here you are, Mister Kaiba, and you're welcome to any of the photographs that you wish," the Director said delightedly.

The Director saw them off, waving as the limousine headed out of sight towards downtown Hong Kong. After receiving more than a few glares, Kaiba reluctantly arranged for a large donation to be given to the site to further their research.


	20. History Lesson

Um, yeah...this chapter's a little different than the rest of the story (at least all of the story that I've written so far...eh heh heh...)

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Disclaimer: I own nothing made by other people

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Claimer: I own everything made by me

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_When the world was still young, before there was a difference between land and sky, there were seven wells that sank down, deep into the ground. And inside each one was a different thing: Air, Wind, Clouds, Thunderbolts, Raindrops, Snow, and Hail. There was nothing living anywhere in the world before this time. And then Bai'n'tou came to the world._

_--- _

_Bai'n'tou held a hammer in his left hand, and a sword in his right._

_A plate of armor guarded his breast, and a strong shield hung from his back._

_Hidden behind the shield was his bow and arrows, and hanging from his belt were his daggers._

_Around his neck hung a disk infused with magic from before the world was ever created._

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_He came to the place of the seven wells and wished to drink, but he could not reach the water in any of them because the other things were in his way._

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_So, Bai'n'tou slammed his hammer into the Well of Air, sending all of the air into the sky with the power of his swing._

_He cut the Well of Wind with his sword, and the wind roared into the sky with a howl of pain._

_He beat the Well of Clouds with his shield, and the clouds rose slowly into the sky and hung low._

_He shot his arrows into the Well of Thunderbolts, and the thunderbolts sprang into the sky even faster then they to avoid them._

_He called his magic into the Well of Raindrops, and the raindrops ran to hide inside the clouds._

_He slashed the Well of Snow with his daggers, and the snow fled to the highest reaches of the sky to escape them._

_He challenged the Well of Hail, and when it could not pierce his armor the hail flew to join the snow within the highest reaches of the sky._

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_Once Bai'n'tou had done this, he drank from each well in turn. From each well came water of a different shade of the color of water, and each one's water was good. Bai'n'tou offered a drop of blood from his hand and a single hair from his head to each well, in thanks for the water. And when each drop of blood and each hair mixed with each well's waters, a new being was created._

_Seven beings there were, each proud of bearing and glorious of complexion. Also, these beings were each gifted with a pair of shining wings, and each one's wings were different from all the others. Bai'n'tou himself had no wings, able to travel wherever he wished without difficulty, but these beings were also born from the Seven Wells of the Sky and so the sky would forever be their domain._

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_Bai'n'tou gave the seven his blessing and then departed. Those seven, having been born with the knowledge of Bai'n'tou's blood and formed from the mixture of the Waters of the Wells of the Sky and Bai'n'tou's hairs, called themselves Ban-Ile to honor Bai'n'tou forever._

_Long was the time of peace and tranquility after the creation of the first Ban-Ile - each took for himself a mate from the spirits and creatures that began roaming the world and soon the seven tribes of the Ban-Ile were so numerous that they blocked the skies with their wings._

_And that was all before the dark times came._

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_A hole opened in the ever-brilliant skies of the world. From it leaked many things, including all the shadows in the world. The largest of these shadows took residence within the very sky and became part of it, and the first night was born._

_But the most dangerous of these were the terrible beasts that called themselves **Mi'cho'tziplat**, Children of the Abyss, and were very soon also called demons._

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_The first hole through which all these things came through sealed itself as if it had never been, leaving the Ban-Ile and the other living creatures with them to fight off this terrible new threat. For with the shadows came a new, even more frightening specter. Death had entered the world, and the Children of the Abyss were skilled at causing it._

_This was to be called the First War. For millennia, it was fought between the Ban-Ile and the **Mi'cho'tziplat**, and all creatures suffered because of it.  
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_The seven tribes dwindled, but the Children of the Abyss were slowly reduced as well over the long fighting. At the last, an uneasy truce was declared between them, neither side having the strength of numbers to try and defeat the other._

_--- _

_It is to be noted that at this time, the still fledgling race of Humanity had begun to unravel the mysteries of magic. Now could be found human sorcerers that could subdue the most ferocious of demons, and defeat the strongest of Ban-Ile._

_And they were sorely needed, for it was then that the Second Darkness came. Once again, the Hole opened. What came through this second time was much less and far worse than anything ever seen before._

_--- _

_Ulgoth the Destroyer, the Terrible, who was also called **Krii'tziplat**, Lord of the Abyss, and his eight sinister wives came into the world at this time. The demon's numbers were strengthened as Ulgoth's wives and daughters birthed more and more demon warriors._

_Ulgoth began destroying the Ban-Ile tribes, wiping even their memory from the face of known existence. The Ban-Ile tribes, as a final and desperate last resort, then made a solemn pact with the human nations._

_--- _

_Seven of the human's greatest sorcerers and the leader of each of the seven tribes banded their powers together, ending Ulgoth's conquest and sending the Lord of the Abyss back into the Hole, which was once again sealed, but now by human magic._

_The human's magic could not seal the Hole completely, however. If one with a key to the magic that sealed it entered the Hole, he would be drawn into the world where demons come from. And if the seven magical items that sealed the Hole were to ever fall into the hands of Ulgoth, not only would he be free, but invincible._

_--- _

_Knowing this, Ulgoth commanded his wives, who had escaped his fate, to send his children to find and capture those items. The seven sorcerers and their descendents were hunted down mercilessly, until they appealed to their Ban-Ile comrades and then each tribe took charge of an item. These items were hidden within ancient hiding places of which only the Ban-Ile knew._

_When Ulgoth discovered this, his children began wiping out the Ban-Ile in earnest. The seven tribes have disappeared, leaving only scattered groups to guard these sacred items._

_--- _

_So that the Lord of the Abyss will not succeed, here lies the only trail to the hiding place of the least of these seven items._

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_"Where the earth reaches to touch the sky_

_"O Wingless ones, now fly!_

_"A man sits forever here_

_"Look well and with thought_

_"Where wisdom is sought."_

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	21. Recap Flashback

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Without much further ado, I present the next chappy for you all! 

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Claimer: I own made-up stuff

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"I dunno what dat guy though was 'exciting' bout dis. Half of it don't make no sense, and den dere's dat crazy riddle dere too!"

"Ooh, I love riddles! I used to be the reigning world champ on riddles…until Seto beat me, of course," Mokuba admitted sheepishly.

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"Oh really? Old Jou ain't too bad with riddles himself. Ask me anything," Jou declared.

"Okay…what has four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?"

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"Uh…hold on a sec, I got it…don't tell me…it's…17!"

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Mokuba nearly fell over.

"Jou, that's the riddle of the Sphinx - EVERYBODY knows that one!"

"Well, ya see, Mokuba…," Jou turned bright red in embarrassment while his explanation fizzled.

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Kaiba, who was doing work on his laptop at the nearby table in the room, rolled his eyes and smirked without pausing. Yuugi was on the balcony, watching as Kikki stretched his wings and thinking about what had been written on the tablet.

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'So, a really long time ago, there were tons and tons of Ban-Ile, just like Yami…seven whole tribes of them! But now…they're almost all gone, thanks to the demons. And when that super-demon 'Ulgoth' tried to take over the world, the Ban-Ile and seven human sorcerers banded together and sealed Ulgoth away.

'So then Ulgoth ordered the demons to kill the ones hiding the seven mystical artifacts, so he could use them and become free again. And the pendant Yami gave me is somehow connected to at least one of the artifacts…probably the one his tribe was guarding…but the other tribes might be wiped out by now, so who knows what happened to the other six artifacts.

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'It looks like finding Yami is going to be a lot harder then I thought it would…and there's still so much I don't know.'

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((**What you think about?**))

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Kikki's voice startled Yuugi from his reverie. The bird was perched upon the balcony railing, and had its head cocked in curiosity. Knowing for a fact that the others were inside, Yuugi responded.

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(((**I was thinking…about the Ban-Ile. What do you suppose happened to them all?**)))

((**Me no 'pose, me know. All flyer know bout Scratchies.**))

(((**Scratchies…you mean…all the birds in the world know about the Ban-Ile? So you already know where those seven artifacts are?!**)))

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((**You is beaking!**)) was the shrill trill of a reply as Kikki hopped to the side.

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((**No flyer know bout dat! Flyers mostly know bout nearby things, like where dirts live. You is beaking, you think one flyer knows everything in the world!**))

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While Kikki's first few words sent Yuugi's hopes sinking, they rose again when he realized exactly what Kikki was telling him. No one bird _would_ ever know everything about the world, but if you went to a place and wanted to find something there, the birds living in the area would have all the information you needed.

And then Yuugi realized that Kikki was glaring at him, and looked kind of annoyed.

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(((**Kikki…I'm really sorry for snapping at you,**))) Yuugi apologized, (((**But now I have a question. If we went somewhere else, would you be able to talk to the other birds there and help us find what we're looking for? Is that possible?**)))

((**Course it is, flyer tongue is what everybody with brains is talking,)) Kikki chirped, ((And no 'pal-jize. It not problem. Ways flyer argue, most loudest one is always being most right! That never be problem!**))

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For the first while, he wasn't certain where he was. Or how he had gotten there. Was there something he was supposed to be doing? That certainly sounded right… So why couldn't he seem to move?

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"Phagh. You can take that worthless worm back to his cage. I'm bored with trying not to kill him," came a voice.

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Who was that? That voice…it wasn't a good voice…something grabbed him, started dragging him. Fire erupted all over his body, the onset of new pain jarring more information back into his aching head.

He'd been…captured, yes he remembered that now.

And - a Hive-Queen! One of the Hive-Queens had been there.

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So, this was how it felt like to _survive_ their torture. Funny, Yami had always thought that would feel like a good thing.

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Even though his eyes were still closed and his head was still aching - which also thankfully blurred his memory of what exactly had happened to him - and his body still wouldn't respond when he tried to move it, Yami could focus enough now to think. Before, he had been more concerned that he'd finally been caught to think about planning ahead.

There was something, some trump card he had - and it came back to him instantly in the memory image of a mute human child. Yuugi. And the shining pendant he had thrust into the child's hands.

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Yes, that was it! The pendant - which was what the Hive-Queen had interrogated him about - that he'd given to Yuugi right before Anzu - the name brought a surge of anger with it - had finally gotten him. As long as the demons didn't know a human had the pendant, it would still be safe.

And even if they did, as long as the pendant's holder had no idea what the pendant's true purpose was, not even the powerful Hive-Queens could locate it or its holder. It was a fail-safe spell that had never made sense to Yami before - since he and any of his fellow Ban-Ile would know what such a pendant was used for - but now it was going to come in very handy.

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Unless, of course, the Hive-Queen was able to torture the knowledge of Yuugi's existence out of Yami first.

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His internal musings were interrupted when the guard demon threw him. Judging from the smallness of the space Yami landed in, and how it continued to lurch back and forth afterwards, he was back in the cage. The demon's footsteps faded away, and for a while there was just a lot of deathly quiet.

Then came a peculiar noise, like something swinging back and forth on the end of a chain. Yami tried to guess what that could be, but he hadn't thought of any answers before the cage shook. Something had grabbed it maybe…

"Bastard, you better still be breathing," a new voice muttered, right by his head.

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When a questing hand touched him on the forehead - checking his spiritual signature the way another Ban-Ile would - Yami remembered something else he'd nearly forgotten and forced himself to open his eyes.

One eye, pressed against the cage floor, didn't even twitch. The other one felt like it had been cast in lead, and it was only through supreme effort that Yami got it open enough to see through it at all, but he managed it.

The shape was blurred, but the distinctive crowning mass of nearly-silver whiteness was unmistakable. Yami briefly wondered if Bakura actually looked worried or not - that recluse had always been touchy about showing his true feelings - when the exhaustion he'd been fighting the whole time won out and Yami slipped into the relief of unconsciousness.

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Or rather, it would have been such, had he not still somehow had the energy to dream. Dreams of the past…

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_/…He soared gracefully amongst the low cloud cover. It was a lot more fun going flying than sitting through one of Elder Nadda's stupid lectures. Ancient history was way too boring! Especially when there was a whole human city nearby to go spying on! Yami could even hear what Old Nadda's response to his idea of entertainment would be._

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_'Being one of our race means being above petty desires, as the clouds are above the soil,' he mouthed as he conjured Nadda's creaky, squeaking voice from memory, 'And furthermore, contact with humans is utterly forbidden! When will you realize I'm telling you these things to help you, young fledgling, not because I enjoy listening to the sound of my own voice!'_

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_Hah! Who in their right mind would enjoy the sound of Old Nadda's voice? And it wasn't like Yami was missing anything important. If it really had been a lecture that would end up saving his life someday, 'Kura would have shown up. 'Kura always showed up if the topic was going to be something ultimately useful…Yami didn't really think of the white-haired one as a friend, actually he was more like a rival, but there was something very real to the other's ability to predict things._

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_Actually, Old Nadda always seemed displeased whenever 'Kura chose to come by. 'Kura came to learn, but he was never anyone's respectful little student. Unlike that half-human girl Mai. Mai was dangerously obsessed with things like ancient Ban-Ile history. Probably because she had been a human once, altered by that mage's spell a hundred years ago, and was now part of their tribe._

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_Weird obsessions seemed to be a hallmark of human thinking, though, so Yami hadn't cared much when Mai had confronted him on being a better student. So what if he was only three hundred and twenty years old, a mere one hundred and eighty years too young to be considered a full adult Ban-Ile by Nadda and the rest of the Elders? As far as Yami was concerned, the rest of the tribe could go stuff itself. Yami liked his life just the way it was._

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_Caught up in these thoughts, Yami neglected to keep an eye on his altitude, and was still soaring in the low clouds. When he passed through the one in front of him, a tall tree appeared out of thin air and grabbed at his left wing. Totally caught off-guard, Yami dropped another dozen feet while he tried to compensate for the impact - and crashing into another tree. Then it was a wonderfully pain-filled ride of bouncing down a billion tree branches until he finally hit the dirt - head first, of course._

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_While waiting for the spinning in his head to clear, Yami had time to think of a thousand terrible things he wanted to do to every last tree in the world before he was able to sit up. His left wing still throbbed - it had been whacked pretty hard. And it did have to be the densest damn forest ever, didn't it?! Looking up revealed nothing but an intimidating lattice of tree branches. And there was no way to climb up these smooth-barked trees…dammit! Old Nadda would be laughing his head off at the sight of his lesson-skipping student stuck in this situation. There was no other options but to walk to the nearest edge of the forest and find a clear spot to take off from…he'd passed a tree-free cliff on his way over, it shouldn't be too far -_

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_A noise caught his attention, and as he whirled towards it Yami suddenly realized the birds were completely silent. Birds were almost never silent when they were around a Ban-Ile. But they did go silent when that Ban-Ile was hanging around dangerous things and there was something hiding behind one of the nearby trees. As Yami finished his turn he caught a good look at whatever thing that was spying on him -_

_It was a human female!/_

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	22. Sideshow

Hah hah! Thanks for the lovely reviews, you guys! Merry Xmas or whatever!

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Disclaimer: Stuff invented by other people doesn't belong to me

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Claimer: Stuff I made up is mine!

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Honda rummaged in the drawer, keeping an eye out for his parents. When he finally pulled out the thing he was looking for, he tip-toed back over to his own room. It was their own fault he had to sneak into their bedroom to get his dad's super-secret-100-guareented-to make-women-swoon-all-over-you-cologne. But even if his dad killed him when he got back for using his secret cologne, it would be worth it. For Honda had a date!

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She was a new girl in town, with sleek brown hair, big eyes, nice skin, and blessed with the biggest rack a man could die for. She was even better looking then the blond bombshell Mai Kajaku. Tea Gardner, she was called, and she was an absolute angel! Honda would have bet a billion yen that she had really fallen out of Heaven. And she was going out with him today.

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For so long in life Honda had struck out with the ladies. But Tea had chosen him! Honda's only regret was that Yuugi and Jou weren't here for Honda to show Tea off to. No, they were in some other part of the world, China or someplace like that, and so they were going to have to miss out. Oh well, it just meant more Tea for Honda - those guys would have been jealous and tried to get her for themselves if they were here anyway.

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Anzu sat on the park bench and sipped at the soda without interest as the idiot human boy beside her rambled on and on about who-knew-what. She ignored the fact that there were only two things the boy seemed to be thinking about, both of which happened to be located on her chest. She'd been having that effect on males for ages - human and otherwise - and as always, Anzu used it to her advantage.

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She could smell that this human boy had some information on what she sought - even under the disgusting stench of liquid rot that humans males thought attracted females to them - and so she was going to string the little twerp along until she got what she wanted from him, and then she'd toss him aside and move on to her own goals.

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It was only a matter of time: the spell woven into her body made it impossible for the male of her choosing not to desire her in a grotesquely animalistic fashion. Then, she would make the little piggy squeal.

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Her delightfully gruesome thoughts paused as someone came by. In a real sense, the woman that was approaching herself and the boy - what was his name anyway, Hubbo? Hundi? - was physically more attractive then Anzu herself was, by human standards at least. Anzu thought she was slightly familiar, but judging from the casual way Hiddi greeted her it was just another girl he knew from his human school, unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

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"Hey there Honda," the blond said, "Who's your little friend here?"

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"Oh," Hooda said, "This is my, uh, very, very close female friend Tea Gardner. She's new in town. Tea, this is Mai Kajaku. She goes to the same school I do."

"I see," said the blond with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "So, is this a date?"

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"A date?!" Huppo exclaimed, his voice rising, "No! No, of course not. This is just, uh, just…a box social! Yeah, that's it. We are having a two-person box social. Um…"

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"I think it's simply _wonderful_ that Hiroto-kun can make time in his _busy_ schedule to show me around Domino City," Anzu piped up, draping herself over the flushed human boy and pitching her voice high and dripping with sugar.

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The Kajaku girl nodded, having brains enough to know that Anzu was playing with the boy, though she didn't say anything. The blond was just turning and beginning to walk away when she paused to inquire about something. Specifically, the shiny-crystal-woven-into-hemp-like-bracelet on Anzu's right wrist.

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"This? Oh, I've had this old thing for ever-so-long," Anzu said, playing the fool, "I can't remember where I got it anymore. It's really just a little bauble, not really that important. Now, Hiroto-kun, what were you saying?

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Hikko began babbling again, while Anzu proceeded to ignore both him and the Mai girl. Neither of them was of any real importance, and neither was the thing the Mai girl had noticed. It was really just a stupid trinket anyway…

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Mai felt bile rising in her throat as she walked away from that scene in the park.

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By all rights she should have confronted the demon - for that was what that sickening girl was, all right - but she was walking away instead. And with probable good reason. The demon didn't know what Mai really was, and thought it's secret safe, but Mai Kajaku knew more than any demon could ever know.

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She knew that 'little bauble' of the girl's - Mai had made it, after all.

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_/Mai felt surprised that Yami would ask her for anything - he was rather stuck-up for a Ban-Ile, immature and sometimes was a real jerk - and she was even more surprised that he would ask her about advice on gifts to give to girls._

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_She knew that Yami had no interest whatsoever in any of the female Ban-Ile in their tribe, and Mai wasn't lonely enough to delude herself into thinking that Yami had been secretly in love with her this whole time! But here he was, asking if Mai knew any good gifts one might give to girls._

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_When she asked - in hopes to be able to tease him about this later - who the lucky girl was, he said it was a secret._

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_"So, I'll just watch the girls and see who ends up getting the gift I'm telling you to get," Mai had responded._

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_"No, because we'll have sworn a patch to utter secrecy and you'll never know who I give it to," Yami had shot back, "Now are you going to help me or what?"_

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_Mai had assented, and she had fished out of her personal things a wonderfully woven bracelet, made of unbreakable Heatherdown and with a single, gleaming crystal locked safely in its patterns. Yami had flown off with the thing with barely a thank you, making Mai shake her head in amusement._

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_Young as she was considered here, Mai had been a full-fledged adult among humans for some time before her transformation, and knew more about love and heartbreak then Yami. Ever since that time he had skipped one of Elder Nadda's lessons, only to be stuck in some forest - the source of a lot of jokes since then - Yami had been acting oddly. Clearly he was in love with someone or something he had found in the forest._

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_Mai felt concern for him, and so she had put a spell into the bracelet that Yami was now carrying off: if the one he gave it to betrayed his heart, the bracelet would never come off, even if the arm it was on was severed from the body it would still cling to that body, marking forever that this one was unfaithful and untrue._

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_She'd learned about how to make those in the private lesson Elder Nadda had given her, the same day that Yami had gotten stuck in his forest and everyone else had gone looking for him._

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_Except for that Bakura fellow. He just laughed at the searchers as they headed north, east, and south. And the forest Yami had spoken of later was in fact far away to the west. But that Bakura guy was odd about predicting things like that./_

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	23. Enter the Duke

Yay! New chapter! Yay! I'm bored so I've been drinking Mr. Pibb! Yay! Etc!

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Disclaimer/Claimer: Since presumably you've read the other chapters, you've seen this one plenty of times. I can't hope for chronological order.

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Seto studied the riddle intently. Nearby, Jou and Mokuba had fallen asleep in front of the TV, and Yuugi was in the bathroom. The bird was asleep too, perched on top of the headboard of the bed in the next room. After finishing all the paperwork he had for today, Seto had welcomed a chance to take a look at a new riddle to clear the fuzz from his brain.

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And it was a dozy of a riddle too. Wingless ones flying, sitting forever, and wisdom that was sought? Very confusing at first, but it revealed itself to Seto's cunning mind bit by bit.

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There was the sound of padding feet as Yuugi came over to see what Seto was doing. Seto looked up to watch as the mute boy signed a question. 

"I haven't figured it all out yet," Seto admitted, "But I think I've got the first part down. Where the earth 'reaches' for the sky is probably a mountain range. And since 'Wingless Ones' need to fly, I think it either means we need to take a plane there, or we need to hurry - but it might also just mean its far away."

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(**That's kind of like both at the same time, then,**) Yuugi signed.

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"I suppose so, but how can a man sit forever? And 'where wisdom is sought' might be a school, but then again, that's more like where it is 'taught' then where it is 'sought', so it's hard to be sure."

Yuugi looked towards the sleeping ones as his brow furrowed in concentration. The bird had woken up at Seto's voice, and now chirped. As if that was some kind of signal, Yuugi seemed to realize something and darted into the bedroom before returning with one of the orange 'laughing fat Buddha' statues that seemed to be everywhere in China.

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Seto didn't understand when Yuugi plunked the statue down and gestured at it.

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(**The answers a statue, a statue,**) Yuugi signed at length, at little annoyed that Seto hadn't gotten his point already, (**If you carve a man sitting, he'll be sitting for the rest of forever, get it? And it could be a big stone Buddha. That's all about wisdom, isn't it?**)

"And if you want to learn something, you sit at the feet of the teacher - in Buddhism, at least," Seto said as realization dawned on him, "So we need to find a Buddha Statue in a mountain!"

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(**And probably the higher up the mountain the better,**) Yuugi added as Seto rushed to his computer to set the plan into action.

"The place to find Buddha Statues in high mountains is Tibet," Seto said, "The Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world…now to just find the highest Buddha on the highest inhabited mountain…"

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As it turned out, the highest inhabited mountain was actually in Nepal. Kaiba was able to arrange their travel there by the next day, and they landed in the only village that had an airstrip after two hours of travel. This village was below the one that they were planning to go to, and Kaiba spent the two days that the four of them used acclimating to the thin air arranging transportation up the mountain.

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Those were the two quietest days of the trip, as both Mokuba and especially Jou were confined to the rooms in the little village inn. Kaiba ignored any side affects of asphyxiation as he continued doing business-related things on his computer.

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Strangely enough, Yuugi didn't need to adjust to the thinner air at all; the only difference the height made to him was to make the air chillier than it was back home. It disturbed him, and he stayed in the room for the two days pretending to have the same trouble with the air that the others had.

Being able to talk to birds was one thing, but this was a big sign of Yuugi being seriously different from other human beings. Kikki didn't see what the big deal was, since he didn't have a problem with the air either.

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After their little break, the four of them piled into the back of an old jeep owned by someone with business up the mountain for a bumpy ride uphill. The other village was smaller, and much older. The four of them were left shivering and ignored by the villagers.

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"It's fr-fr-freezin'," Jou shivered in his coat, "Couldn't we have gone someplace dats warm?"

"I don't think warmth was the point," Mokuba muttered.

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"Do we even know how ta get to wherever we're going?! And if we do, can we please do it soon!?"

"There's supposed to be some sort of ancient temple around here," Kaiba said as he looked around.

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"Are you looking for something?"

They turned to see a person looking at them. He was dressed in standard village attire, but he didn't look like a native. He had stringy black hair and green eyes. One of his ears was pierced, and a die was hanging from the earring. He only looked around Jou and Yuugi's age. But most importantly of all, he had spoken in fluent Japanese.

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"We don't get many tourists up this way," the person continued, ignoring how he was being stared at, "Or any other visitors, for that matter."

"Well, you certainly don't look like a native to me," Kaiba replied.

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"Guess I stick out a little, huh?" the other laughed. "Yeah, I moved here just a couple of years ago. Name's Otogi, Otogi Ryuuji, but most people in these parts call me Duke! I hope my Japanese isn't too rusty for you guys…"

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"Nah," Jou said with a wave of his hand, "We're picking ya up loud and clear! Hey, ya wouldn't able ta help us look for something, would ya?"

"What are you looking for?" Duke asked.

"We heard that there was some sort of temple or shrine in these parts," Kaiba said before Jou could open his mouth again, "And we were wondering if we might be able to visit it."

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"Oh," said Duke, his cheerful expression faltering slightly, "Well, I hate to say it, but that story about a temple on this mountain…it's just an old legend. It's doesn't actually exist."

((He lying in his beak,)) Kikki chirped from his perk on Yuugi's shoulder.

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Duke's eyes flickered over to eye the bird when Kikki spoke, but otherwise gave no sign of even noticing him.

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"You guys aren't the first ones to come looking for the temple," Duke continued without a hitch, "So unless there was something else you guys wanted to see…I guess there's nothing here for you."

"Oh," Jou said, looking disappointed, "Well - maybe ya can give us a tour, or something?"

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"You know, I'd love to, but I actually have to go now," Duke said, "Have fun on the rest of your visit!"

Duke hurried off, weaving his way through the shorter villagers until he went behind a building and disappeared from sight. Jou then proceeded to grumble at Kaiba.

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"Well dis was a big waste of time! Ya couldn't take us ta a place with a real temple?"

(**Jou**) Yuugi signed, (**I don't think that guy was telling us the truth about the temple**)

"What? He was lying? But why would he lie ta people?"

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"To keep them from going to the temple, obviously," Kaiba snapped.

"But why?" asked Mokuba, "Oh! Maybe he's part of this ring of international diamond smugglers, who use the temple as a place to store all their loot! And if people ask too many questions, this evil spirit ghost scares them all away!"

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Yuugi and Kaiba both stared at Mokuba. Jou, on the other hand, laughed.

"Hey, you've seen dat show too Mokuba? Dat's awesome!"

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The other two sighed, and managed to get the conversation back on the right track.

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(**He's hiding something, that's all we can know for sure. Maybe if we find the temple, we can figure out what he's hiding**)

"Yeah, dat's a great idea! So, where do we start looking?"

"The survey records that I found suggest the temple is at a higher elevation then the rest of this village," Kaiba said, "We'll start looking there first."

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And uphill they went, with Yuugi trailing behind the others at first on purpose to have a private word with Kikki. The bird fluttered off on his own, passing the ones on the ground easily. There were some imposing pinnacles of rock above the area where the village had been built, and they looked impassable.

((Lying-Beak go this way,)) Yuugi heard Kikki call down from above them.

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He headed in the direction of Kikki's voice, acting like he was only looking for the way up, and found himself standing at the bottom of a narrow staircase carved into the rock.

"Yuugi, where did you - oh. Oh! Big Brother, look! Yuugi found a way up!"

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Mokuba's calls brought Kaiba running, with Jou trailing behind the other boy.

"So, the temple doesn't exist, huh," Kaiba said as he examined the stairs, "These were made a long time before this village was built. There doesn't appear to be any other way up."

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"Last one dere is a rotten egg!" said Jou, and he started running up the steps.

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"Idiot," Kaiba muttered as they followed him.

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The stairs went up a long way, and soon enough they caught up to Jou, who had stopped to take a breather.

"Whew! Dis is one long staircase! We'd better make camp here, try fa da summit in da mornin'," the blond panted.

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"Get up, idiot," Kaiba growled as he passed him, walking slowly and calmly.

The stairs began twisting back and forth erratically, and it felt like they had been walking for days when they finally reached the top. There was a flat, open area completely exposed to the sky, and completely bare as well. It was right next to a large jutting cliff, and in the cliff a tunnel had been carved, big enough for a two-lane road.

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"Is anyone else getting a bad feeling about this?" Mokuba wondered aloud.

'Tell me about it,' Yuugi thought as Kaiba lead the way into the tunnel.

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The tunnel was dark, but there was enough light coming from both ends to see where they were going. And to notice something else as well - carved into the walls were torch sconces, some even still holding wood ash. This tunnel had once been used regularly by whoever had hollowed it out, and maybe even not too long ago.

"I guess this is da way to da temple," Jou muttered to himself as they kept walking.

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The tunnel curved around slightly, and then they reached the other end. It opened onto a wide stone courtyard surrounded by high walls. At one end of the courtyard was a massive and ancient building, built into the rock of the mountain itself. Everything was carved from the same blue-gray stone, and it was as quiet as a graveyard.

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"Dat Duke guy did lie ta us after all!" Jou exclaimed, shattering the silence instantly, "Dat no-good son of a-"

"There seems to be no one here," Kaiba said, calmly interrupting Jou and causing the blond to glare at him, not that Kaiba cared, "He must be inside. If we can manage to get in at all quietly, then perhaps we can figure out what Otogi is trying to hide…"

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"Big Brother - LOOK OUT!"

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Kaiba had passed near a tall statue sticking out of the ground. Something white and furry-looking leapt off the top and tried to flatten him. Barely rolling out of the way before getting crushed, Kaiba began executing a very hasty retreat as the white thing bellowed and started stabbing at him with a huge spear!

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"IT'S A YETI!" Jou shrieked, "RUN AWAY!"

"I thought the Yeti was a myth!" Mokuba complained as he and Yuugi ran right after Kaiba and Jou.

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They had shorter legs and were being left behind when Yuugi noticed something really weird going on in his pocket - the one with Yami's pendant in it. The pendant was getting really hot and was starting to vibrate strangely.

'If a Ban-Ile pendant is going nuts,' Yuugi realized, skidding to a sudden halt, 'Then that must mean -'

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Yuugi's thinking was interrupted when he had to dive out of the way of the spear. Then again, it was actually really easy to dodge the 'Yeti's' attacks, like it didn't actually want to kill any of them.

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He heard the others come back to 'save' him, but Yuugi's actual rescuer was much faster. Kikki, diving like a feathery cannonball out of the blue yonder, grabbed onto the so-called 'Yeti' by its furry head and tugged it around, yanking the hood it really was nearly all the way off.

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A familiar, if muffled, voice was heard cursing under the hood as the 'Yeti' tripped over Yuugi's feet and landed on its back. The dropped spear rolled away - Kaiba quickly grabbed it - and Kikki landed on his usual perch on Yuugi's shoulder as the mute boy yanked the hood away completely.

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Otogi "Duke" Ryujii's head was underneath it.

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"Stupid meddling bird," he grumbled as the others gasped.

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"Dat Duke guy is really a Yeti?!?!"

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"Jou," Mokuba said with a sweat-drop, "He's just dressed up as a Yeti."

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"It's time to tell the truth! Why did you try to kill us?" Kaiba demanded, holding the point of the spear at Duke's neck.

"Grr…I wasn't trying to kill you, I was trying to scare you off," Duke grumbled, "No one ever tried attacking _me_ before…"

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"So why don't you want us coming to this temple, huh?" Mokuba demanded from behind his brother's legs.

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"I don't have to tell _you_ anything, squirt," Duke retorted, glaring at his captors.

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Yuugi, who had been silently watching so far, came to a decision and nodded.

(**He's a Ban-Ile just like Yami**) Yuugi signed.


	24. Birds of a feather

No reviews for the last two chapters. Hmm.

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I'll give you all the benefit of the doubt for this one - for all I know, all my readers are feeling terribly, terribly shy. Don't worry, I promise not to laugh at your reviews, no matter how pathetic they are! Even if you want me to!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

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Claimer: I own the Ban-Ile, these particular demons, and other made-up junk. But if you ask me very nicely I will share.

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"He's a WHAT?" Kaiba asked, incredulous.

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"You mean he's got dem big wings just like Yami did?!" Jou yelped, "And he's guarding one of dose seven arti-facts dat da demons are afta?!"

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Duke stared at Yuugi in shock. He seemed unable to speak for a minute.

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"How…I can't believe…how do you **humans** know about _us_?!" Duke demanded, once he was able to talk again.

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"You mean you're really like that guy Yuugi always talks about? Cool!" Mokuba said.

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"What are you people talking about?" Kaiba growled, not at all happy to be confused.

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"If you let me stand up, I'll show you," Duke said.

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Kaiba grudgingly let the dark-haired man get up. Duke rubbed his sore back, and a brief look of concentration crossed his features. A pair of wings emerged smoothly through specially-made slits in the back of Duke's Yeti disguise. Unlike Yami's diamond-bright wings, Duke's wings were a softer snowy white color, and were also less angular in shape.

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"Yami's wings looked different den dat," Jou protested, grabbing onto one as he spoke.

Jou immediately yelped in pain and withdrew his now-bleeding fingers. Kaiba snickered under his breath, and grabbed Mokuba's shoulder to keep the ten-year-old from heading over to grab a wing for himself. Duke managed to calmly ignore the man-handling of his appendages and was looking over the feather Yuugi was showing him.

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"Yep, definitely not from my _Deyadi_," Duke said as Yuugi put the feather back.

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"Day-ya-dee? What's dat?" Jou asked, bleeding fingers forgotten.

"I think in your languages, it translates into 'tribe'," Duke answered with a shrug, "Well, I guess that in this case, you all better come inside before it starts snowing too heavily."

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Sure enough, it had started snowing a little as they had been talking. Duke led the way into the main doorway of the temple. Inside it was just as deserted as the tunnel had been, but the myriad corridors were nice and warm. Duke left the Yeti disguise by the main door.

There was only one small incident: Kaiba balked at returning Duke's spear. The Ban-Ile had frowned, one of his wings had seemingly twitched, and then Duke had calmly caught the spear when Kaiba lost his grip. The billionaire fumed over his bleeding wrist quietly the rest of the way.

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(**Does your Deyadi all live here**) Yuugi asked Duke as they walked.

Being a quick study of languages appeared to be a Ban-Ile trait, and Duke had no trouble with Yuugi's signing.

"Oh no, we're still numerous enough to spread out. Most of us live in this area, though," Duke admitted.

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"So, all the Yeti sightings people talk about are you guys?" Mokuba asked.

"Not all of them," Duke said, grinning, "The real Yet'ni are the ones humans see up close. But I think I do a pretty mean imitation."

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"Yet'ni?" Kaiba inquired, his expression still very sour.

"That's what they call themselves. Pretty reclusive, but otherwise they're kinda interesting neighbors. They find human beings amusing, which is the only reason why your kind are still allowed to live on these mountains."

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"So what's da deal with dis temple? Why did ya lie ta us?" Jou asked.

"This is one of our fortresses," Duke said simply, "And we'd prefer to stay alive."

"And no one has figured things out besides us?"

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"Most humans think this place is a folk-tale. And anybody that does actually come here unwanted is driven away by a 'ferocious' Yet'ni. You're the first people in fifty years that have even found the stairs."

"Wouldn't it be easier to get rid of the stairs?"

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Instead of answering, Duke turned and lead the way into a biggest corridor they had seen in the temple so far. It also seemed slightly grander, the archways that served as windows were decorated with Ban-Ile art. Ahead of them was a large room.

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"Since you're here, you have to talk to the Elder," Duke informed them, "Communication between _Deyadi_, even as indirect as this, is serious business. So is interactions with humans."

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The audience chamber was very huge and very imposing in appearance, but it had the same look that the rest of the temple had: a look of something ancient, and perhaps it was beautiful back then, but now showing the wear of disuse at the edges.

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An older man with long silver hair was waiting for them. He had a large set of wings the same color as Duke's, and seemed amused at the procession headed his way. Aside from him, the room only contained some padded benches and a circular hole with a small fire burning in it. The rest of the floor was bare.

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"Elder, sir," Duke said as he bowed to the man.

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"You brought some friends with you, Otogi-boy? How nice…it's been SO long since we had company all the way up here."

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The Elder's voice was cultured, even to the point of having an English-speaker's accent.

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"Well, I know exactly why they're here, so you can relax and ask them to sit down."

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"Um…right by the fire," Duke mumbled, pointing to the benches.

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Once everyone was seated comfortably by the fire, the Elder shook out his wings and looked at them properly.

"I see the clue we left behind in China has proved beneficial to you," he said, "I am most happy for you. But why have you come here? Kaiba-boy wants to avoid human criminals after his money, his little brother is here because he didn't want to be stuck at home - most literally as a matter of fact - but Yuugi-boy and his friend Jounouchi have an entirely different agenda, mmm yes?"

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"How did you…" Kaiba trailed off, uncertain which question he actually wanted to ask.

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"Prognostication, and the ability to know what others are thinking, yes, those are the skills that defined me in my youth, and they still apply today as well. But it's a serious business, dealing with demons," the Elder said, a twinkle in his eye, "Not many Ban-Ile live long enough to be rescued after capture…your friend Yami's chances of being one of them are really very rather low."

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Duke only half-succeeded in holding down a gasp of surprise.

"But we GOTTA save him!" Jou protested, "You tell em, Yuug! We ain't gonna leave a friend ta be killed by demons!"

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The Elder looked Yuugi over.

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"But can the bird vouch for his character as well? Not that human opinion has **no** meaning whatsoever in these matters…"

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Jou bristled, feeling insulted, as Kikki seemed to consider things. Kaiba spoke up before Kikki could respond.

"How is a bird supposed to vouch for anything? That is utterly preposterous!" Kaiba said.

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Kikki cleared his throat. It was such an unusual noise for a bird that Kaiba was surprised, surprised enough not to interrupt when the bird began speaking for real.

((**Yuugi-Flyer-No-Fly is good**,)) Kikki said, ((**Has dirt friends, but no one perfect. Me no meet his scratchie friend, but I told scratchie no do stupid dirt things. Big sky, room for more scratchie, free is good idea. You is beaking up your tail, all flyers know this.**))

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"I see," said the Elder, nonplussed at being insulted.

"Well?" Jou asked.

"I suppose I could give you _some_ assistance…as much as I hate to part with the trinket. Almost as much as I hate to part with its bearer. Otogi-boy, it's time to open the vault!"

Not expecting this turn of events, Duke nearly fell out of his seat.

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"Wha-What?! Right _now_?!"

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"Oh, heavens no. I think it can wait until tomorrow at least. Otogi-boy…I trust you didn't…_lose_ the key when you were utterly accosted by a Blue Jay?"

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Duke pulled out something hanging from a chain around his neck - a small silver rod with Ban-Ile inscriptions on it. It was just a bit longer than a human's middle finger, and more than twice as thick.

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"Excellent. We'll go in the morning, then. Show our new little friends their rooms for the night, Otogi-boy," the Elder said.

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"Who are you," Kaiba asked, before they left the audience chamber.

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"Oh my…I didn't even remember to introduce myself? How horribly _rude_ of me! You children can call me Pegasus."

…


	25. Say Awe

Yea and verily...whups, wrong speech.

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Thanks for the reviews! Ya'll come back now y'hear?

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Disclaimer: Chiwizard does not own anything created by person(s) other than herself.

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Even though the whole fortress seemed to be devoid of life, aside from Duke and Pegasus, the rooms that Duke brought the four humans to were already fully prepared for them and were actually very nice. Decorated in what they were discovering to be standard Ban-Ile design, more than half of each room had no ceiling. That exposed part opened out to a thin balcony with no railings.

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Seto Kaiba estimated that each balcony was probably large enough to allow two Ban-Ile to land and/or take off at the same time. He made a mental note to keep Mokuba as far away from the edge as possible. And hopefully, they wouldn't be staying here too long anyway.

Even with all that he'd seen so far, as far as this business was concerned, Seto was still very skeptical.

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Okay, so maybe the 'Ban-Ile' themselves were now officially proven - that Duke guy and that weirdo Pegasus were proof enough even to convince him - but magical artifacts and a portal to a world of demons? What kind of an idiot did they take him for?

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If they kept up with this load of nonsense, he had half a mind to take Mokuba and head back for home. And if Motou and his idiotic friend didn't want to leave their little fantasy world for reality, well…that wasn't Seto's problem.

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The rooms had two beds each, so naturally he and Mokuba took one and the other two took the second. Despite how open to the cold mountain air most of the room was, a hanging screen could be pulled out to block the worst of the chill. The shimmering material looked sort of like fish scales…which made just about as much sense as the rest of this whirligig of fun.

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Still, with the Unnaturally Annoying One's snoring and sleep-talking confined to an entirely separate room, it was nice and quiet. And in the morning - right after dawn, which was the time of day that Seto woke up normally anyway - there was a sizable breakfast waiting for them. The fact that it was all standard Japanese fare, in Nepal, seemed off to Seto.

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Otogi 'Duke' Ryuuji, when asked where exactly the food had come from, refused to give a straight answer. Then again, he probably didn't know either, which didn't help settle Seto's nerves any.

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Jounouchi inhaled enough food to prove to Seto that it was safe to eat, and within a short hour they were being lead through the fortress by Duke again.

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"Is this going to take much longer?" Seto growled, not really expecting an answer.

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"Oh, excuse us fa wasting ya _time_, Rich-boy," Jounouchi grumbled.

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The blond was talking to himself, not knowing that Seto Kaiba possessed exceptionally good hearing, but judging by the irritated tone the idiot had finally figured out who had been making all the snide comments about him behind his back.

-

Seto kept his face expressionless, but inwardly he smirked. At least he could entertain himself by baiting this punk for the rest of the trip.

-

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The paths they were taking wove around quite a bit. Duke was intentionally taking a convoluted route so that none of his human companions could remember the way to wherever this big secret was supposed to be hidden.

Eventually, though, they headed down a short flight of stairs and entered a tunnel that seemed to be made of snow.

-

-

"Brrr," said Mokuba as he hugged his jacket closer around himself, "How hi-hi-high up are we, anyway?"

"Almost at the top of the mountain," Duke called back from the head of their troop, "And don't touch the walls, guys - there's a spell on them that'll freeze you solid."

-

"Gr-gr-gr-gr-great, than-than-thanks for da wa-wa-wa-wa-warnin'," Jounouchi squeaked out around his chattering teeth.

-

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Luckily the frosty tunnel - which hadn't felt _that_ cold to Seto anyway - was short, and opened up at last into what looked almost like a cave. Compared with the exposed parts of the fortress and the ice-lined tunnel, it was almost cozy in here. Situated at the far end of the room was the largest Buddha statue Seto had ever seen.

It had been carved from the same blue-gray stone that the rest of the place was made out of, but some kind of polish or paint made the statue shine like it was formed from slick steel.

-

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Pegasus was waiting for them.

-

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"I do hope the accommodations were to your likings," Pegasus said as he greeted them.

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Yuugi's pet bird chirped at something. That reminded Seto - that was something else to put on his 'Pathetic Trick' List, the fact that Pegasus claimed he could talk to birds. Yeah, right.

-

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"So," Jounouchi spoke up when no one else said anything for a minute, "What's with da giant metal guy?"

-

Mokuba, Duke, and Yuugi all groaned. Well, Yuugi's groan was silent, but since Seto was looking in his direction, he saw the motion and added the correct sound in his head. The blonde's utter lack of a clue didn't phase Pegasus one bit.

-

-

"Ah, its been so long since I felt the joys of ignorance," Pegasus sighed happily, "Its still wonderful, even secondhand."

-

As Jounouchi blinked rapidly, trying to figure out if he'd just been insulted - even Seto wasn't sure at this point - Pegasus turned to face the Buddha statue.

-

"Oh Otogi-boy," Pegasus called over his shoulder.

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"Oh! Yeah, I got it," Duke yelped, rushed from the back of their group to hand something to Pegasus.

-

It was that weird silver stick that they'd been shown a glimpse of last night. Pegasus held his arms out towards the statue, the stick-thing in his right hand.

"Okay you guys," Duke cautioned them as he stepped back, "You're about to see something really cool."

-

'Really fake,' Seto's brain edited.

-

Well, whatever special-effects person had rigged this up, they sure were an expert. Not only did the stick thing start glowing white, so did the Buddha statue, faintly.

-

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"_Look well and with thought_," Pegasus recited,

"_Where wisdom is sought/_

_I have here your key/_

_Now give me your lock!_"

-

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And a silver lock appeared in midair, right in front of Pegasus. Seto almost jumped - not only had it been instantaneous, but the thing actually appeared to be solid. Who ever these guys had hired must have cost a fortune!

-

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Pegasus stuck the stick-thing in and turned it like you would a real key. There was a resounding 'click' that echoed around the room, before the lock and 'key' vanished.

"I so **love** that rhyming part," Seto heard Pegasus chuckle to himself before his attention was diverted to the head of the Buddha statue.

-

-

The thing's eyes were glowing. It was a purple-white-yellow sort of color, but much to Seto's astonishment he suddenly remembered that there was no such color. Then the Buddha's mouth opened and it spat out something small and yellow. The yellow thing soared through the air to land neatly in Pegasus' open left hand.

-

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When the silver-haired Ban-Ile turned back to face the rest of them, Seto was surprised to see that the yellow thing was a crude and possibly solid gold replica of what looked like a human eyeball.

-

-

-

-

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He'd stopped screaming.

-

She _hated_ the part when her victims stopped screaming and flailing, even though they were still alive and conscious. It was like every human would only take a certain amount of pain, and when they hit their limit the body shut off all its nerve endings and waited for whatever was inflicting the pain to give up and go away.

-

Anzu grumbled to herself. Sure, she'd gotten every last scrap of information out of him, but what fun was there in torturing something to death that couldn't still feel the pain?

-

Well, maybe after she made her report to the Hive-Queen, she could go and 'check up' on her dear old friend Yami. The delicious idea made Anzu giggle as she shucked her human form for her demon body.

-

Climbing up the wall of the alley easily with the aid of her powerful claws, Anzu flapped her wings and flew away, not caring in the least for the bleeding lump of flesh named Honda Hiroto that she was leaving in the alley behind her.

-

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_/Yami couldn't believe he'd waited so long to meet a human. Why had he ever listened to the Elders' stupid nonsense about them being dangerous? Especially since Anzu was the nicest human he'd ever met._

_When he told her that, she giggled and blushed._

_- _

_"Aren't I the only human you've ever met, Yami?" she pointed out next._

_"…Well," he started, "…Yeah, I guess technically…"_

_"But I still like you anyway!" he was quick to add._

_- _

_She laughed. For some reason, when Anzu teased him and laughed at him, Yami didn't feel nearly as embarrassed as he did when one of his fellow Ban-Ile did the same thing._

_- _

_There was only one gloomy cloud that strained their friendship: as a human, Anzu would be dead in less than a hundred years - probably sooner, thanks to the human problems of war, poverty, and sickness. So every time the subject came up - and Anzu seemed to point it out a lot - Yami would make her feel better by telling her about some shortcoming or weakness that his own race had._

_She was most intrigued by the tales concerning the War of Demise, the time of the Dread Lord of the demons - who were only occasional trespassers in this remote region - and often had questions that Yami didn't know the answer to, like how long demons lived._

_- _

_"They don't live very long after meeting one of our warriors," he told her instead, and she had smiled, but was still curious._

_- _

_"If the Lord of the Demons is gone forever," she asked one day, "Why do the demons still hunt your people?"_

_"Because," Yami answered without thinking, "They want the -"_

_- _

_"…The what?" Anzu had pressed when Yami abruptly shut his mouth._

_- _

_"…'M not supposed to tell anyone," he finally said, "Its not you or anything, but I can't discuss that at all, ever."  
_

_"So what?" she had shot back, pouting, "I'll be dead in a couple of decades anyway, so who'll I tell?"_

_-_

_- _

_Yami squirmed in his seat. His natural inclination of just telling her was fighting with the fact that he wasn't supposed to tell **anyone**, not even his own **parents** while they were still alive - he'd made a **promise** - **BUT** -_

_- _

_"Okay," he sighed, feeling extremely guilty as he reached for his most secret possession, which he wore on his neck, "But only if you promise to never tell anyone or anything about this. Alright, Anzu?"_

_"I promise," Anzu replied, blinking as sunlight caught the gold in his hand in the next instant /_

_- _

_- _

Yami shivered and moaned, lost in bad dreams of bad memories, and completely oblivious to everything around him. Including the one who was keeping a vigil of his own making.

…


	26. And then there were five

Ahh, sweet reviews, how I love them!

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(blinking)

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Hey, what are YOU looking at? Huh?

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Disclaimer: Check in other chapters

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…

"Why can't we go ta dat demon-place and save Yami already? I thought we only needed one of dose arti-facts!" Jou exclaimed.

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"Well, clearly," Kaiba retorted, "Thinking isn't your strong point, make-inu."

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"Watch it Rich-boy," Jou growled.

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The five of them - not including Pegasus - were standing in the main entrance to the fortress, around noon of the same day. Duke was currently holding onto the strange golden artifact they had gotten out of the weird Buddha statue that morning.

-

"You can't go with only one Item because its suicide," Duke pointed out the second he could get a word in edgewise.

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(**The rhyme never actually said how many we needed to have**) Yuugi added, (**What should we do**)

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"Hey, why is only having one gold-eyeball-thingy dangerous, Duke?" Mokuba asked.

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"Because the demons are after the seven Items so they can free their King," Duke answered, drawing the other's attention back his way, "And while alone, each of the Items are pretty powerful, all it takes is two or three Hive-Queens working together and even their power would be useless. Especially since this Item isn't all that strong."

-

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"So what is that pitiful thing supposed to do anyway?" Kaiba inquired, not at all impressed with the golden eyeball sitting in Duke's hand.

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"This _thing_ is the Millennium Eye," Duke replied, "The one who bears it can read the minds of others. And it can take people's souls, but all the Millennium Items do that."

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"And you expect me to believe that?" Kaiba demanded.

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"Well, I would, but den I remember dat you wouldn't know magic if it kicked ya in da head," Jou announced.

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(**If we need the other Items,**) Yuugi signed after some private thought, (**Where would we need to go? Are any of the other Ban-Ile tribes still around, or did the demons take their Items and kill them already**)

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"…That's a good question," Duke admitted, "And I'm sorry I can't answer it. But we've kept the _Deyadai_ separate for so long that we almost never see them anymore."

-

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"What about Pegasus?" Mokuba pointed out.

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"He left already, actually. He said he needed to talk to the other Elders, so they could plan. Um…"

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"What?"

-

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"…He also said that if you'll take me, I'll come with you," Duke finally got out, "I'm the one that's supposed to use the Eye, or at least that's what he said, and I want to help, if I can."

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"Sure thing! Welcome aboard, Dukey!" Jou grinned.

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There was a very long pause as the person who was actually going to decide that, the owner of their transportation, frowned at the impudent Ban-Ile. Then Kaiba shrugged.

-

"Oh, sure," he growled sarcastically, "Why not? Since this _ridiculous_ expedition has _no_ idea where to go now anyway, why _not_ add another brainless _dwee_b to the group?"

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Duke frowned, but chose not to rise to Kaiba's bait. Instead he grabbed a leather knapsack - which had been sitting in a nearby alcove, completely unnoticed by the others - smoothly retracted his wings, and followed the little procession as they headed for the tunnel that lead to the old staircase.

-

None of the villagers seemed to care that their out-of-town visitors, who had vanished the previous afternoon, had mysteriously reappeared; nor did any of them pay the group any mind as they drove away in the old car Duke had wrangled one of the slightly more modern villagers into renting to them.

-

Back at the lower village with its tiny airstrip, Yuugi, Jou, and Duke peered over a world atlas that was kept in the plane. Kaiba went right back to work on his laptop, but as soon as his brother was too engrossed in busywork to glower at him Mokuba joined the other three in their debate over where the other Millennium Items, as Duke said they were called, might be hidden away.

-

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(**The point of hiding something is to keep it from being found, you know**) Yuugi pointed out after an hour's fruitless flipping of pages in the atlas.

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"Yeah," Jou agreed, "Hey Duke, remind me ta have ya on my team da next time we play hide-and-seek, K?"

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"…I guess I'll try to take that as a compliment," Duke said, after blinking at the blonde for a few moments.

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Jou grimaced, while Mokuba and Yuugi both quietly snickered.

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"I just don't get no respect 'round here," Jou grumbled.

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"Well, we can't just sit here and complain all day," Mokuba pointed out, "C'mon! Everybody try thinking like one of the Ban-Ile…now, if you were a Ban-Ile, where would you hide something really important so that the demons couldn't get it?"

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Duke snorted.

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"I already think like a Ban-Ile - considering that I _am_ a Ban-Ile - and I already told you guys I had no idea where to go next."

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"Dat's 'cause yer not thinkin' like a human tryin' ta think like a Ban-Ile would," Jou told him, grinning, "But ta me, dis is so obvious now!"

-

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(**So you have an idea Jou**) Yuugi asked.

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"Yep! And, its so simple, none of yas would'a ever thoughta it inna billion years!"

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"Just spit it out already, Mutt," growled Kaiba's voice.

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They turned, blinking as they saw Seto Kaiba watching them. Apparently the arrogant teenage billionaire was more interested in what was going on then he had let on, but had no patience for Jou's rambling.

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"What do _you_ care about dis, Rich-Boy? I thought dis was just a 'ridiculous expedition' ta ya," Jou challenged him.

-

The blonde was rewarded with an eye blink - the Seto Kaiba version of a blush, Jou was certain - before the brunette turned back to his computer and began typing again. Even though Kaiba tried to look like whatever business thing he was doing was something fascinating, Jou just knew the jerk was too stuck up to admit his own curiosity.

-

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"Hey Jou, can we hear your idea in your own lifetime?"

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Duke's irritated voice cut through Jou's happy moment like a knife, but luckily the blonde still remembered what his great idea had been.

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"Well, okay, here goes. Duke, dese demons gotta have some kinda weakness, right? Something dat scares da living heck out'a em? I mean, if Yuug's way shy around girls -"

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Yuugi glared at Jou.

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"An' Mokuba's real easy ta kidnap -" Jou continued.

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"Hey!" Mokuba yelped.

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"An' Kaiba's allergic ta being a real human -" Jou added.

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"Said the mutt with an I.Q. of four," Kaiba muttered under his breath.

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"Den," Jou finished with a wave of his arms, "Dere must be something dat the demons won't go near! I mean, ya put dat Eye-thing inside a cave when you have wings! Sure, da cave was in da top of a mountain, but ya know what I mean, right? Am I right?"

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There was a long pause while Jou's friends finished glaring at him and Duke processed the blonde's idea.

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"Of _course_! Why didn't I think of that? We hid the Millennium Eye up there before I was born," Duke said, "So it never occurred to me - Jou, you might just have a brain after all!"

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"Looks like only straw to me," Mokuba said, tugging Jou's hair almost innocently.

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Jou glared at the younger kid and Duke while everyone else on the plane - including Kaiba - laughed. But the blonde grinned, knowing he had probably deserved it. Besides, getting teased by the younger Kaiba brother was a lot nicer than being mocked by his older brother - and Mokuba made funnier jokes, too.

-

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While Jou proceeded to whittle away at the rest of his attention span with random thoughts about Seto Kaiba's ability to understand humor and magic together, and wondered if the billionaire would hurt himself in the process, Yuugi, Mokuba, and Duke were plowing through the atlas, finding all sorts of places that demons would love to live in, and comparing them with other regions that Duke knew demons hated.

-

Sure, a mountain full of defenseless humans seemed like a stupid place to hide from a demon swarm, but the Yet'ni tolerated no harm or threat to the humans they loved to watch and scare. Duke assured them that a truly angry Yet'ni was not something to be seen close-up.

-

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"And there are so many mountains, too dangerous for anything but a very long and dedicated search," he added, "And even though my whole _Deyadi_ lives in the area, the Yet'ni are almost everywhere. The other _Deyadai_ probably weren't nearly as lucky as we've been."


	27. High Ho, High Ho, Oh where will we go?

Oh man, people like this story? My self esteem, its, its, its ALIVE! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Um, please pay no attention to the demonic laughter. Instead, read this new chapter!

Disclaimer: Authoress only owns stuff invented by her, and guess what? That does NOT include Yugioh.

(Also, sorry about the spacing, will try to fix asap!)

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As it turned out, demons and Ban-Ile had similar likes and dislikes. They both hated being underground, and both preferred flying high above any potential threats - or in the demon's case, victims - and, weirdly enough, both races disliked having their wings handled carelessly. Duke had refused to elaborate on that last point, but it was plenty to start on.

The possibilities the group narrowed down included some kind of large forest - since demons couldn't retract their wings like Ban-Ile, so they would have a hard time getting through the trees - and anyplace low-level.

And, of course, there needed to be some kind of monument for hiding the Item in. Duke personally had no idea how it worked, but it was something to do with 'sympathetic spiritual energies from human constructions' and other big words.

"Here we go, the Amazon Rainforest!" Mokuba declared, jabbing a triumphant finger at Brazil, "That's the largest rainforest in the world, right?"

"Naw, Stonehenge, Stonehenge!" Jou insisted, shaking the page with England on it, "Nobody knows what its dere for…why not hide magic stuff here?"

Yuugi, on the other hand, was calmly investigating a map of Australia. This particular atlas featured a big picture of Ayer's Rock, the most spiritual rock in that part of the world, as far as the average person knew, anyway.

"So, how'we gonna pick which place ta check out first?" Jou wondered.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Mokuba offered.

(**Spin a globe with our eyes closed**) suggested Yuugi.

"Roll dice, the highest wins!" Duke declared, holding out several dice that he had in his pocket.

"I know, we'll throw some darts and whatever place we hit's where we go!" Jou exclaimed.

"You aren't throwing anything at my atlas, on or off my plane," Kaiba interrupted, yanking the atlas out of their reach as he did so.

"Den what da you suggest, Kaiba?" Jou snorted, "Did the genius rich-boy figure out where all da items are with his fancy computer or what?"

"The only thing I figured out," Kaiba retorted, "Is that this is completely stupid. That's why I will place _my_ vote for our next stop to be the last stop on this expedition - back to Domino City."

"Jerk," Jou grumbled, but Duke sighed.

"Whatever," the Ban-Ile said, "But we still have to find some way to pick."

"Then I say we duel for the choice," Kaiba said, smug as ever.

"Duel? Guns at twenty paces?"

(**You mean with the card game**) Yuugi signed, very surprised. (**I didn't know you even played**)

"_Kaiba_ plays _Duel Monsters_?" Jou was incredulous.

"Not only does my brother play Duel Monsters," Mokuba sniffed, "He's the best there is. His deck's totally unbeatable, and I should know since he's the one that taught me how to play."

"…I think I feel a challenge comin' on," Jou grinned, pulling out his own deck, "And here I thought I'd never get a chance ta have any fun on dis adventure. Hey Yuug, ya brought your deck, right?"

Yuugi nodded, pulling out his own deck. Mokuba and Kaiba had their decks on them as well. Duke was the only one who saw any problem with this idea.

"Am I the only one who didn't forget that the end of the world is probably more imminent than usual here?" the Ban-Ile wondered aloud as the humans argued about who would duel who first.

They decided to make this quick, and only have one duel. That meant that Jou and Mokuba rolled some of Duke's dice to see who would play Rock-Paper-Scissors with Yuugi for the chance to duel Kaiba.

Jou out-rolled Mokuba in dice and was crushed in Rock-Paper-Scissors by his best friend, so Yuugi was the one shuffling his cards opposite of Kaiba.

As far as Seto Kaiba was concerned, he felt supremely confident. After all, he was a gaming expert in every game he had ever played, ever since he was half Mokuba's age. He had skill, expertise, and of course, a deck filled with powerful cards.

No fool, Kaiba had already gotten a rough estimate of Yuugi's skills as a duelist. And Yuugi was probably as good at Duel Monsters as he himself was. No matter - Kaiba was certain that although the game would be very close, **he** would be the one to emerge victorious.

An hour later, Seto was still staring in space, totally lost in his shock.

How, how, _how_ had he been defeated!

Feeling generous, he'd let Yuugi go first…no, wait, he'd actually gone first hadn't he…so it wasn't that.

When Yuugi's weak monsters were vulnerable, he'd refrained from…no, wait, that was even stupider - he'd crushed every monster Yuugi had played, so there was no blaming that.

Their life points - they'd started with 2000 each to make it go faster - had gone wildly up and down, but Yuugi's in the end had been higher…okay, maybe the same…no, actually lower, much lower, less than a third of his own.

This was getting stupid.

The fact remained, no matter how much Seto wanted to deny it - and boy did he ever want to! - was that when faced with two Blue Eyes White Dragons, Yuugi had defeated him using a combination of Dark Magician, Monster Reborn, and _Kuriboh_.

It **still** didn't make any sense!

And now they were on their way to Australia, to investigate the site Yuugi had picked out. Some magic rock or something. But with the others either occupied or asleep, that left Seto alone to work his way through his thoughts to the logical conclusion.

Yuugi Motou was better than he was.

And that thought was completely unacceptable for Seto Kaiba.

'So what?' his brain told him, 'Its just a card game. On a scale of general ability, you far outclass all other humans on this plane.'

But Seto just couldn't listen to his normal, logical thought processes right now. In hopes of getting his thoughts onto some different track, he even tried to bury himself in a load of meaningless paperwork. Unfortunately, so determined was he to focus on that mundane task that Seto finished all the work after three hours.

It wasn't the stupid vainglory of an undefeated idiot who had just been kicked in the backside by reality that was bothering him so much either. Seto had lost before, after all. It had been back when he was much younger, but it had been an invaluable life lesson.

No, his problem was that he hadn't lost a single game since being taken under his and Mokuba's stepfather's wing.

As soon as _that_ little train of thought started chugging down the tracks of his mind, Seto promptly derailed it. He'd been stressing himself out, trying to work too hard as a distraction to the ridiculous things that the others had insisted bringing into his life. Add to that the time zone changes…

He was just tired.

That tiredness was what had caused this temporary lapse in his skills as a Duelist.

He should sleep.

After adjusting the straight-arrow back of his chair to something slightly more comfortable, Seto closed his eyes and attempted to go to sleep. The hum of the engines, the sound of the others breathing, and even the idiot mutt's sleepy mumblings - something about a BLT on a high wire, Seto thought - proved to be very soothing.

As he was falling asleep, Seto thought he saw Yuugi's bird perched on the seat in front of his. He wouldn't swear to it - besides, it was stupid - but it was almost like the Blue Jay was watching him.

…


	28. And speaking of which

Hey folks, so happy to see you all again...

Little warning, there will be a bit more in the way of bad language for this chapter...but then again, Bakura **IS** Bakura, so what'dya expect?

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh owned by its creators. Those don't happen to include me, unfortunately...

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_(imagine there's a space here) _

_(imagine there's a space here) _

…

Someone was whistling.

It was some sort of tune that was high-pitched, chirpy-cheerful, and off-key. That and the fact that he hated whistling with a hatred that burned with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns made Bakura even less thrilled than normal with this visitor's arrival.

_(imagine there's a space here)  
_

Not that he had ever liked the bitch to begin with.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

Anzu swaggered right by Bakura's cage, ignoring his presence entirely as she focused on the cage containing her target. Bakura almost felt vindicated that Yami was not only still unconscious, no shaking of his cage would be rousing him now.

"Oh, phooey," Anzu said in a mocking tone, "What a time for this lazy guy to take a nap!"

Bakura 'harrumphed', drawing her attention his way.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

"Oh, I know you," she said with an unpleasantly pleasant grin, "Hello, Mop Head."

"Hello, Human Bitch," he replied, sneering right back at her.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

As much as Bakura had avoided her, he knew perfectly well how much Anzu hated being a member of her own species. Just as he'd predicted, her face went red and she growled at him.

"Charming as ever, I see," she said.

"Only for you," he laughed.

"Well, then, you can enjoy your charms by yourself," Anzu snorted, turning and walking away.

"Oh well, I'll be sure to tell Yami that you came by," Bakura called after her, "I'll be certain to emphasize when you admitted your own patheticness."

_(imagine there's a space here) _

"Hah," she said, turning around and walking back over to his cage, "And which one of us is in the birdcage, bird-brain? Although I think…nah. I wouldn't want to spoil your surprise."

_(imagine there's a space here)  
_

_(imagine there's a space here)  
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"Oh. No. Not a surprise," Bakura deadpanned. "Whatever shall I do? I shall have a heart attack and die. Such a surprising surprise this is."

_(imagine there's a space here)  
_

_(imagine there's a space here)  
_

"_Cute_," Anzu said, her tone showing clearly that the opposite was true, "But I might as well tell you, since it looked like Yami's catching up with his beauty sleep. If Yami doesn't go totally Grey on you, you can even pass it on to him…"

_(imagine there's a space here) _

Bakura snarled. Not that he was particularly fond of Yami, but Anzu's joke was one of the **worst** in bad taste in Ban-Ile society. 'Going Grey' was the term for when a Ban-Ile faded away.

It was a literal term as well: when a Ban-Ile was pushed too hard, suffered too much, and just couldn't take the strain of life anymore, they went to sleep and never woke up. Their bodies slowly became transparent, growing fainter and fainter until that Ban-Ile didn't physically exist anymore.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

Anzu smiled, knowing exactly what effect her slur had had on her current source of entertainment.

"I just got back from giving the beloved Hive Queen my report," Anzu said, "Information, which pointed out to me exactly where Yami's latest batch of human friends are going. Seems they have something we want."

_(imagine there's a space here) _

Bakura looked in another direction, feigning total boredom. As he'd anticipated, Anzu snapped her fangs together in irritation.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

"I already shredded one of his mortal buddies," she announced proudly, "Some idiot that didn't even have the sense to get out of town with the others. The best trackers are already on their way after the others."

"Ah," Bakura laughed, "And that explains why you're here with us. Not such a great demon, are you Human Bitch?"

_(imagine there's a space here) _

_(imagine there's a space here) __  
_

"I'll tear you to pieces for that!" she shrieked, kicking at the side of the cage.

"Ooh," he retorted, "She's going to beat up someone inside a cage! You live so DANGEROUSLY! Such bravery must be _sung_ throughout the _ages_!"

He punctuated his remark with a maniacal laugh.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

Anzu sneered.

"I can fight you out here if you want, coward," she informed him, "I have a key!"

_(imagine there's a space here) _

She held out a fat metal key. It was the size of a human hand, and judging from appearance Bakura judged it to be made of iron. Anzu waved it at him enticingly.

"Stole it from the guard, did you?" he inquired.

"Hmph," Anzu answered, "_You've_ been here long enough to know there's dozens of these keys everywhere. But if you ask me very nicely I'll let you out of that cramped little cage for a few minutes…maybe I'll even go easy on you…although we don't actually **need** to fight if you want to try doing something **else**…"

_(imagine there's a space here) _

_(imagine there's a space here) __  
_

Now Anzu was almost pressed up against the bars of the cage, pulling on her talent for enticement for all it was worth. Bakura waited a minute, then burst into peals of laughter.

"You are such a little WHORE, Human Bitch!" he cackled, "I wonder, how much do you charge for your little favors? Or should I grow you another tail as payment?"

Annoyed, Anzu stuffed the key in a pocket and turned to walk away.

"I'm bored and you're no fun at all," she declared, before walking out of the cage-filled room entirely.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

_(imagine there's a space here)  
_

Once she was gone and he was completely certain that she was not coming back, Bakura leaned back in his cage, feeling very pleased with himself. Idly, he twirled the fat iron key around in his hands and gleefully smirked.

"Heh heh heh. Stupid bitch."

_(imagine there's a space here) _

_(imagine there's a space here)  
_

_(imagine there's a space here) _

_(imagine there's a space here) _

Something was poking his shoulder.

Annoyed, Yami tried to ignore it. The clamor that had half-woken him - a temporary triumph of paranoia over exhaustion - was gone, and without any more reason to stay awake, he wanted to go back to sleep.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

Unless you counted this infernal nudging a reason. Yami was considering it, especially since the poking in question had migrated to the side of his head. He would have swatted at it, but moving felt like too much work.

"Wakey, wakey, Little Yami," someone was crooning.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

_(imagine there's a space here) _

And that did the trick. Of all the things Yami utterly despised, more than anything living or dead in the whole of existence - **including** trees - being teased about his less-than-average height was the single most effective way to infuriate him.

Yami's eyes shot open. And the sight that they first took notice of wasn't at all helpful in reigning in his anger. Bakura's face was right in front of his, and the white-haired Ban-Ile was smirking and snickering.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

Luckily for Bakura's continued health, one of Yami's wings flapped open, and when he realized there was nothing but air surrounding him Yami pushed himself up and looked around.

There were the cages…firmly closed, probably still locked too…and here, outside the cages, were himself and Bakura.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

_(imagine there's a space here) _

"Good morning sunshine," Bakura laughed, "Oh, and guess who you owe a debt for rescuing you now?"

"…We're still in a dungeon," Yami reminded the other, rubbing his dry throat to ease the soreness, "Don't most rescues involve leaving the area of captivity at some point?"

_(imagine there's a space here) _

"Not that," Bakura replied coolly, "Before. When your friend the Human Bitch showed up. She had a key and was probably going to molest you. I probably saved your pathetic life from permanent trauma and horrible mental scars."

"Gee, thanks," Yami said, "And we got out of the cages without her how?"

_(imagine there's a space here) _

"I did say she 'had' a key, right?" Bakura mentioned, face serious as he held up an iron key.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

"I hadn't noticed," the other said, turning to check his wing.

'Well, at least its still **attached**,' Yami sighed, wincing as the appendage screamed back into horrible agonizing life upon being noticed.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

"Would you rather have it chopped off? I could go ask the guards, since I'm sure they'd LOVE to help out with that," Bakura asked in an unnaturally chirpy voice.

"Just help me fix it so we can get out of here," Yami shot back.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

_(imagine there's a space here) _

Bakura was more than happy to help pop the wing back into its socket - Yami bit his tongue to keep himself from amusing the other with a cry of pain - but the break proved tricky. In the end, since both of them were worried that a guard - or worse, Anzu - might come by, Yami was forced to wrap his robe around the wing and worry about a better brace later.

The robe - made of a special silvery material that only Ban-Ile could manufacture - was in its own way very much alive. Even though it had been in tatters by the time Yami had switched to human clothes, he'd had it wrapped around his torso underneath the leather. Enough time had passed that the robe had regenerated.

_(imagine there's a space here) _

In the dimness of the cavernous lair of the demons, Bakura's robe - not to mention his hair and wings - made him into a living nightlight.

That was part of the reason Yami let Bakura lead the way out.


	29. G'Day, Mate!

Oh man, did the whole 'space' thing piss you guys off? I'm sorry...I COULDN'T HELP IT! I WANT MY SPACES!

...Uh, ah, yeah. Sorry 'bout that...

Disclaimer: Authoress only owns made-up stuff that was invented by her. Unfortunately, that doesn't include Yugioh

* * *

- 

"KC-4, you are cleared to land on Runway Two," came the call from the air-traffic tower.

Everything had gone smoothly. The flight hadn't taken too long, the landing clearance had been given promptly, and there was plenty of space in the small-aircraft section of Sydney International Airport for Kaiba's airplane.

In fact, Jonouchi was the first one to notice the first major obstacle - well, a major obstacle as far as HE was concerned.

"GAAAHHH!" Jou bellowed, as soon as the five of them exited the plane, "WHY IS IT SO **COLD**!"

"And there goes _my_ hearing," Duke grumbled, rubbing the offended organ and taking a big step away from the blond.

"This is the Southern Hemisphere, dimwit," Kaiba growled - the teenage billionaire now fully recovered from/in total denial about his loss to Yuugi, "And since it's the beginning of summer in Japan, that makes it the beginning of winter here."

"But we were just in da Himalayas!" Jou wailed, "Why can't anyplace we go be warm?"

"Don't look at me!" Mokuba shot back, "**I** wanted to go to a massive tropical rainforest!"

Yuugi, used to his friend's antics, refrained from adding fuel to Jou's fire. Instead, he followed when Kaiba started stalking away towards the terminal. Kikki, perched on his shoulder as usual, preened quietly.

It was nice and warm inside the terminal. Jou commented on how much he enjoyed the change so loudly that the others suspected THAT was the reason Kaiba got them a car so quickly. One of those safari-cars that had no roof, no less.

((**You know, stupid-tall-tree is much good at his fun. I think of big-talon eagle in with fat-dirt-egg-layers,**)) Kikki commented.

Once he realized that 'fat-dirt-egg-layers' meant chickens, Yuugi was very much inclined to agree with the blue jay. Even though it was sort of Jou's own fault for being so easily rattled, Kaiba didn't have to go so far out of his way to pick on the blond.

This time, Mokuba came to the rescue.

When the proposal came up of them using the 'open-to-all-the-elements-car' for the rest of their stay in Australia, Mokuba sneezed as loudly as he could. And thus, not wanting to give his little brother a cold - and for **NO** other reason than that - they got to exchange the freezing unsheltered jeep for a regular car. And then a train, since Ayer's Rock wasn't exactly within walking distance of Sydney.

Even though the train ride wasn't going to take more than a few days at the most extreme, Duke got very fidgety very quickly. Finally, he excused himself to 'get some air', and then didn't come back for about eight hours.

He'd stayed mostly in sight of the train during that time, though, so not even Kaiba was worried that Duke was going behind their backs. Which he wasn't. Yuugi spotted him the most, taking full advantage of the cloudy winter sky to swoop low and then soar back up out of sight.

Ban-Ile sure seemed to get claustrophobic easily, Yuugi noted to himself. At Jou's house, even before they'd gone into the sewers, Yami had been pretty twitchy himself.

'And with demons chasing you, who wouldn't be nervous?' he chided himself.

But if Duke was willing to shadow their train so closely, surely that meant that the demons weren't currently following them. Otherwise, they might as well mount a huge, flashing neon sign to their train car that screamed, '**HERE WE ARE - COME AND KILL US!**' for every single one of those monsters to see.

Naturally, though, Jou had to start complaining about how long the train ride was taking. It was apparently the latest turn of the relationship between Jou and Kaiba - a never-ending contest to see who could piss the other one off more. The blond probably felt more secure with complaining at this point do to Mokuba's total lack of a desire to freeze in a jeep again.

"I mean," Jou declared, "We could've at least landed da plane closer ta where we're going!"

"Idiot," Kaiba retorted.

"HEY!" Jou protested, "You and your damn insults…what makes ya think I'm an idiot _now_, huh?"

"…Everything," Kaiba answered after a moment's pause in which he pretended to think about it.

"WHAT WAS DAT!"

Hoping to head off the scene Jou was well on his way to making, Yuugi finally stepped in.

(**I also was wondering**,) he signed, (**We did land farther away than we needed to I think**)

"Even though I don't care in the slightest about you and your crazed need to travel to obscure locations," Kaiba coolly replied, "I have my own problems which require me to keep a low profile. A small private jet that lands in a less-frequently used airport after an international flight is far more noticeable than a small private jet that lands in a large city boasting a well-recognized international airport. The fact that this might be helpful for you geeks is _merely_ a coincidence."

This was just enough information to shut Jou up for the rest of the trip.

…

Jou's complaints started up again the instant he spotted the sign saying, 'Ayer's Rock - Guided Tours' placed right by the train station. Surely, was the blond's reasoning, the fact that the huge rock was a tourist attraction was a good enough excuse to land Kaiba's plane closer to their destination?

He wouldn't stop pointing this out until Yuugi pulled him aside and in pointed sign language told Jou to stop complaining about the train ride. Kaiba wasn't the only one tired of listening to Jou go on and on, after all.

When the five of them - Duke had rejoined them well before their stop had come up - went to the place that was hosting the Guided Tours of the rock, they were surprised to discover the modest building was surrounded by a large mob of people. Some of the people looked almost like hippies, and only a fourth of them even looked Caucasian. They were all protesting against the tours, the flustered tour manager explained when the group finally got past the mob.

"Even if they don't look it, a lot of them are just crazy college students who've taken the idea of protecting the environment a little too seriously," the manager explained, "And the rest are just the local Aboriginals. They say the presence of tourists angers their gods or something, but my cousin runs a guided tour of those old Mayan temples - in Mexico - and he never gets this sort of trouble from the Indians over there."

Of course, this one and none of the other 'guided tours' of Ayer's Rock could help them out, and all of them warned against Yuugi and the others about taking themselves to see the rock up close. The 'locals' had roughed up adventurous tourists before, they were told.

At least the only hotel in the area had rooms for them to stay the night. Yuugi barely slept, though. He and Kikki had agreed that the bird should check with the local wildlife to see if it would be worth trying harder to find a way to the great rock or not. So now Yuugi was waiting for the Blue Jay to return, even though common sense insisted that it was pointless, and that losing sleep wouldn't hurry anything along.

Common Sense was right, as usual. The next morning found Yuugi very tired, and Kikki still very much gone.

The bird didn't return until the gang was finishing up their 'complimentary continental breakfast', and then he refused to tell Yuugi anything until he'd eaten most of Yuugi's scrambled eggs. Which, even though birds were known to eat other birds, totally grossed out Jou and Mokuba.

((**It weird-strange**,)) Kikki started right off the bat, ((**There too many flyers here with dirts, and dirts are weird also.**))

Pretending to sneeze, Yuugi covered his face with a napkin just long enough for a faint whistle of ((**(How?**))) to get out without his very-much-present companions taking notice. The whole 'I-can-talk-but-only-like-a-bird-and-to-birds-oh-and-I-can-also-understand-them-too' thing was something Jou and the others did not need to experience, in Yuugi's opinion.

((**Flyers stay with dirts. They talk of wisedirts that can talk with them. Not like you, not Flyer-No-Fly, not Flyertongue at all! Weird-strange. Me say we want perches on Wisedirt-Rock, they say they tell wisedirts, and later they say wisedirts say 'walk to Wisedirt-Rock when sun sets'. How you gonna explain dat to your dirt friends?**))

Before Yuugi could even begin to try and think of such an explanation, Kikki had an idea of his own for the problem.

((**Me know! I will tell the Lying-scratchie what flyers and their wisedirts say! Me no say 'bout your Flyertongue, but he can talk too. Stupid dirts will listen to scratchies.**))

Immediately, Kikki fluttered from Yuugi's shoulder to Duke's. The Ban-Ile was briefly startled at first, but after listening to Kikki's explanation, he started looking very interested. Thus, Yuugi and Kikki were the only ones present who were not shocked to hear Duke suddenly suggest that, 'We head for Ayer's Rock ourselves.'

"Won't da locals try ta stop us or something, like dat guy said?" Jou protested.

Duke shrugged.

"Then we'll just have to head there when it gets dark. That way, they might not notice us, and if they _do_ stop us, we can just say we were going on a hike or something, and that we got lost when the sun set because we couldn't see the trail we were using. Its worth a shot, and this way we won't have gone all this way for nothing."

"It's a better idea than doing nothing," Mokuba agreed.

So, when the shadows started growing longer in the late afternoon, four humans, one Ban-Ile, and one Blue Jay began walking towards Ayer's Rock. They were starting early because their hotel had been built a good distance away from the rock - in an attempt to ease local feelings - and because it would seem very suspicious to start a hike when the sunlight was too dim to see where you were going.

They were halfway there when the sun began setting in earnest. Not long after, the sound of someone running towards them came to them from behind them. When they turned, the group found themselves facing six native-looking men who weren't particularly happy to see them.

"I suppose you tourists are here to see the 'big old rock', right?" one of them said sarcastically.

"Who gave you any permission to come stomp in our sacred place?" added another one.

"_Hold it!_" came a new voice.

This one was coming from a trio of figures - it was too hard to make out clear features with the sun almost below the horizon - but they were also natives, and more specifically had come from the direction of Ayer's Rock.

"Go back to your tents, mates," the leader of the new trio told the original group of six, "These are welcome visitors."

"Welcome?" protested the group of six, "Who welcomes these trespassers?"

The 'trespassers' in question, for their part, weren't moving or trying to talk during this exchange - there wasn't even any sort of protest from Jou.

"Mori is the one that welcomes them," the trio said.

Whoever 'Mori' was, the fact that 'Mori' was the one who wanted to see them - possibly even the same 'wisedirt' the birds had told Kikki about - it was good enough for the six men. They turned around and left.

"Please forgive them," the leader of the trio said to Yuugi's group, "They mean well. Now please come with us. You must be taken to Mori."

"And who is this 'Mori' person?" Kaiba asked, as they all headed for Ayer's Rock.

"Mori is the person you mates are gonna be speaking to," the leader answered wryly, "He said you wanted a better place to see things than the roof of your hotel, and you get a pretty good view on top of our little rock, mate."

When it got too dark to see where they were going safely, their three guides produced flashlights. When they finally reached Ayer's Rock itself, their little procession headed for a campfire that was twinkling not too far away.

Sitting on the far side of the fire from them when they finally arrived was the person called Mori.


	30. Information Overload

Am going to assume that the lack of reviews for the last chapter is because of the recent work on FFN. Please enjoy this chapter - and I'LL enjoy the fact that you'll tell me about it, yes yes?

Disclaimer: Authoress does not own Yu-Gi-Oh, just made-up stuff (like the whole Ban-Ile concept)

* * *

- 

Mori was an older man. He was completely bald, but had a beard of curly hair that was a few inches long. There were glass beads strung in it. Mori's skin was wrinkled but tanned, resembling leather.

Otherwise, Mori was perfectly normal to look at, dressed in a long dusty-red T-shirt and well-used jeans. He was even wearing a pair of old sneakers.

Not at all the look one expected for a great Aboriginal religious leader.

But a great Aboriginal religious leader, Mori was.

It was because Mori was visiting Ayer's Rock, the leader of their three guides explained to them, that all those protestors had banned together to bring every last bit of tourism in the area to a screeching halt. They didn't want anyone to bother Mori.

For his part, Mori sat there, and nodded at them, and smiled to himself about the whole thing, but said absolutely nothing.

"…Is this going to take much longer?" Kaiba growled after sitting through five minutes of silence, "I didn't come here for some stupid _staring contest_."

"Oh, aye," Mori agreed.

Since this was the first time the old man had spoken at all, Kaiba was surprised enough just to receive the response to not have any sort of retort available.

"…So, um, Mori, do you, ah, know why we're here?" Duke ventured after another minute of silence.

"Aye, Mori knows," Mori replied, "Mori was taking a walkabout and he saw you coming to see him. The birds knew it too, that you wanted to talk to Mori, so here you are."

"…Are we even talkin' about da same thing here?" Jou spoke up, "What birds?"

"Um…" Duke grinned sheepishly, "I think…you know my idea about coming here at sunset? Well, _actually_, Yuugi's bird told me that the other birds in the area had mentioned we'd be welcomed if we came here at sunset."

"More bird nonsense," Kaiba muttered to himself under his breath.

"How did you know we were coming?" Mokuba asked, curiosity getting the better of him, "Um, Mister Mori? Where were you walking?"

"Oh, he is a clever lad," Mori grinned, "Mori was taking his walkabout in the Dreamtime, heh. He takes long walks, and so he knows about the CloudShield-WaterTribe and what they were guarding, but now that its here in front of Mori its not really a secret, is it?"

Duke went as pale as a bloodless corpse.

"And now Mori is here and talking to the friends of the friend of High-Crags-And-Low-Valleys-Make-No-Difference-For-Flying, so they can just ask Mori and he will tell them everything they need to be told without a walkabout."

"Uh, can you give us a minute?"

Mokuba was concerned, with good reason since Duke was twitching and his brother and Jonouchi both looked stupefied. Yuugi looked confused, but was actually taking the news better than the other three.

"The reason I started to 'freak out', which by the way I _didn't_," Duke explained when they were finally able to get a coherent word out of him, "Is because he not only named my _Deyadi_, he named it in the direct translation of the name. Even we don't bother with the direct translation."

"But, why is it 'water-tribe'? Shouldn't it at least be 'Flying-people-with-wings' tribe?" Jou asked.

(**Oh! I get it! From the wells in the story right**) Yuugi signed.

"What about that 'Crags-and-valleys' gibberish?" Kaiba asked, cursing himself for his admittance of curiosity on this subject.

"That would be the direct translation of the name Yuugi's Blue Jay calls himself," Duke replied.

Not wanted to appear like this wasn't a surprise for him, Yuugi signed, (**For a small bird that is a very big name**)

Once that was all settled, they turned back to face Mori. On his side of the fire, the old man looked completely unworried with how his guests had reacted to his news. In fact, Mori had the appearance of a man who never bothered to get worried about anything.

"Okay, Mori," Duke said, "I'll say it straight. Is one of the seven Millennium artifacts anywhere near here?"

"Besides yours?"

Mori laughed at his own little joke, a belly-shaking '_Ho-Ho Ho-Ho!_' laugh.

"Oh yes," Mori continued, "There is. In Mori's people, we share space with the WindSword-WaterTribe. The White Man, when he came to the land of Mori's people, he showed the ShadowWing Folk that there was hunting to be had here again. So Mori's people, the good friends of the WindSword-WaterTribe, is giving them safety in the bush. They gave us back the treasure they were hiding for the ancestors, to wait until they can go forth in the walkabout. And Mori is the one you wanted to see because Mori is the one that has it now."

"That's great! 'Cause, we sorta need it real bad," Jou said.

Mori nodded thoughtfully, and then shook his head knowingly. Suddenly, the old man was serious, although he still didn't look worried yet.

"Mori takes long walks in the Dreamtime," Mori said, "He saw what you're doing. But he knows that if you really mean to be going into the Great Dark Home of the ShadowWing Folk, you'll need more than two treasures of the ancestors."

"Well, how many do we need, then?" Jou asked.

"Six."

"_Six!_" the blond exclaimed.

"At least," Mori added.

"Why six?"

"Because the ShadowWing Folk have one and you need seven," Mori explained, "The SnowDagger-WaterTribe, they stayed in India, and that's the first place the ShadowWing Folk looked for them. They hide in with the humans now, pretending they're all gone, until they can win back the treasure that they lost. Mori thinks you should be more careful than them."

Duke looked appalled at the news of the other Ban-Ile tribe, but not completely surprised. With his own tribe in the Himalayas, they were close enough to hear rumors about their neighbors' disappearance, even if the reason had never been learned.

"…So," Mokuba said after waiting through this latest minute-of-silence, "If we need six so badly, then we might as well start here and get our second Millennium Thingy now, right?"

Mori laughed again.

"Mori is glad to see you outside of the Dreamtime," the old man grinned, "Wise already! The very first part of any impossible journey is to put one of your feet in front of the other one, aye! Come and sit by Mori."

Confused, Mokuba got up and moved to sit next to Mori.

"You are the one Mori is going to give this treasure to. It is very special, and you are the one who will be guarding it from now on."

"O-Okay," Mokuba stuttered.

Mori lifted a rope that was hanging around his neck the entire time off his head. The object tied by the rope had been inside his shirt, and when he pulled it out the others present gasped.

This artifact, like the Millennium Eye, was solid gold. But it was flat, and sort of looked just like a…

"It's a key!" Mokuba exclaimed.

Mori grinned.

"Mori _knew_ you were the right one! It is a key, though its name is 'Millennium Ankt'. Using this key will help you unlock the doorway into the Dreamtime. Its in the Dreamtime that souls dance the old dances and sing the old songs. You can do more things than you can ever realize when you go for a walkabout in the Dreamtime."

Mokuba was silent as Mori hung the Millennium Ankt around his neck. Once the golden object lay flat on his chest, though, the younger Kaiba brother asked the old man, "But what is this 'Dreamtime' place?"

"Ah, you'll understand when you see it," Mori replied, "The Dreamtime is a wonderful place, and Mori hopes to walk there with you one day. But now you have what you came for and Mori has said what he needed to say and now we are all done."

On cue, the three men who had lead them to Mori rose, and gestured that their visit was now at an end and that they needed to leave. One of them lead the way back to the hotel, and since he was the only one present with a flashlight they didn't try to wander off and go back to Ayer's Rock.

The next morning, they all woke up later than normal - except for Kaiba, who woke with the sun as he usually did, and Jou, who usually slept this late when he didn't have to go to school - and over breakfast, the hotel manager came in person to inform them that, 'if they wanted to go on an Ayer's Rock tour, they could'.

Mysteriously, all the protestors had vanished overnight, back to their homes and regular businesses. The manager was slightly confused by his guests' sudden lack of interest in visiting the historical/religious site, and was left with a feeling of 'protestors are even **more** horrible for tourism than anyone thought' when the Kaiba party checked out and boarded a train for Sydney an hour after breakfast.

If anyone thought it was weird for a ten-year-old boy to be wearing two shirts AND a sweater, it was merely blamed on the winter weather and forgotten about.

…


	31. Delays, Delays

You love me! Or at least you'll tolerate me 'cuz of this fic.

Oh well, whatever works.

Disclaimer: Chiwizard does not own Yu-Gi-Oh

Claimer: Chiwizard owns plot and the entire Ban-Ile concept

* * *

- 

…

Once they were all back in Sydney, and safely inside the closed walls of an extremely fancy hotel suite - courtesy of, as everything else seemed to be, Seto Kaiba's bottomless wallet - the argument of 'where-to-go-next' was revived with a vengeance.

Now that his own brother was directly involved with all this magical weirdness, and possibly because he was still a little in shock from their weird meeting with the strange man named Mori, Seto was actually using his computer to search for possible hiding places of Ban-Ile tribes.

This meant that it was impossible to reach a consensus on their next destination, because whenever they seemed close to narrowing things down to three or four locations, Seto would find another one that held promise, which would be almost identical to one of the rejected places, which meant they'd have to reconsider/argue about everything _all over again_.

A porter came by, asking about all the noise.

"Oh, we're just fighting over which 'Wonder of the World' we're going to go see next - the Opera House or the Great Barrier Reef," Mokuba had lied.

Once the porter had departed - grinning like a cat at the outrageous compliment Mokuba had just paid to his country - the younger Kaiba had taken it upon himself to end the arguing and make the decision himself.

First, Mokuba started off by screaming "**SHUT UP!**" at the top of his lungs.

Once the others had shut up, he said in a calm, matter-of-fact voice, "New plan. Big Brother, stop helping with your computer. And only people actually holding an artifact get to chose."

"That leaves you and me," Duke said, ignoring how the other three looked annoyed with being cut out of the decision-making process.

"Okay then," Mokuba continued, "I say we go east. We can be more specific when we get closer to the other side of the ocean."

"Sounds like a plan," Duke agreed.

They couldn't leave right away, no matter how much they wanted to. If they were going to go straight across the Pacific Ocean in one go, they needed to use a much bigger plane than Kaiba's private mini-jet. So while Kaiba made arrangements for that, the other four spent the rest of the day sight-seeing in Sydney. Jou even bought a postcard with a picture of the Opera House on it, but wouldn't say who he was mailing it to or let even Yuugi see what he'd written.

The next morning, the group was to be found waiting in the airport terminal for their ride.

"So, I guess if Kaiba actually sprang for plane tickets, dat means we'll all be ridin' First Class, right?" Jou asked/stated.

"Didn't you know?" Kaiba sneered, "Dogs have to ride as cargo on airplanes, idiot mutt."

"Ooh, I'm feelin' da _love_," Jou retorted sarcastically, "So, Rich-boy, why don't ya come and get a feel of my fist up yer ass, eh?"

"Are they going to do this the rest of the trip? Because I can just meet you guys over there, you know," Duke groaned.

"Hey - now how's that any fair to the rest of us? We can't cheat like you, you know," Mokuba groaned right back.

"But seriously, where's da plane?" Jou asked, "Is dat it over there?"

"That's a _commercial_ flight," Kaiba replied, tone indicating that even the very idea of taking a commercial flight was the most pathetic thing he'd ever heard.

"And yer point is?"

"…What part of the words, 'private jet', DON'T make it through the piece of solid bone you call a head, _Jonouchi_?" Kaiba snapped.

"**Now** who's da idiot!" Jou snapped back, "We CAME here on yer 'private jet', _Kaiba_! It's TOO SMALL!"

"Would that be in the same way in which your brain is too small for your mouth?"

"WHAT!"

Jou was red in the face, enraged to that special point that only Seto Kaiba could drive the blond to. But right before he could act on his fury, Kaiba calmly pointed at something past the blond's shoulder and said, "Look behind you, idiot."

Still mad, Jou reluctantly glanced over his shoulder.

And his jaw nearly hit the floor of the terminal.

Where, O WHERE…could that massive Jumbo Jet have come from? And how had something that BIG snuck up on him?

"(**Whoa!**)" Duke and Yuugi said/signed in amazement - having been too engrossed in the Kaiba-Jonouchi argument to have noticed the plane any earlier themselves.

The plane was a standard jumbo jet, a brilliant white color with blueish stripes. The only logo were two big letters, a 'K' and a 'C'. It was the same logo that had been on the smaller jet they'd been using before, but now that it was blown up to a super-size, it seemed oddly familiar to Jonouchi.

"Hmm, what have I see with dat's 'KC'? Dat chicken place? Naw, dat's K-F-C…" Jou puzzled as he followed the others to the ramp and onto the very large plane.

(**Its like a huge house in here**) Yuugi signed.

"Kenji Cutters? Kublai Canopeners? Kooky Cookies? Man, I_ know_ I've seen some big corporation with da logo 'KC' somewhere before…"

"Can I?" Mokuba asked Yuugi, indicating the puzzled blond.

Yuugi solemnly nodded.

"Hey, Jou!" Mokuba said, "Try 'Kaiba Corp'."

"Kaiba Corp. Hey, dat's it! Wow…hey Mokuba, did you know you've got da **same** last name as dis big corporation place does?"

"You're kidding, right?" Mokuba sweat-dropped.

And this was a little too much for Seto Kaiba's self control. To the incredible shock of everyone present, the tall brunette started shaking with suppressed laughter. Then chuckling. Then he out-and-out _laughed_, for almost half a minute.

"…Well, **dat** was freaky," Jou said, staring at Kaiba with bugged-out eyes.

"Ahhh…I think I almost needed that laugh," Kaiba smirked, as soon as he brought his mirth back under control, "I guess there is a purpose to bringing the stupid dog along after all…"

"Hey!" Jou protested, "What's with the 'stupid' crack now?"

"Jou, we own Kaiba Corp," Mokuba explained to the confused blond, "My brother's the CEO. You get it now?"

"_…OOOOOOOOOOH!_" Jou exclaimed, "I get it! Dat explains everything! Okay, I guess we can go now."

Everyone else present sweat-dropped.


	32. Everybody movin'

Yes, someone finally guessed it. The REAL reason this fic is AU.

Its AU...because I gave Seto Kaiba a _SENSE OF HUMOR_!

_(thunder crashes, glass breaks, and a woman screams)_

...What'ya looking at me for? _I_ didn't hear anything.

Disclaimer: Chiwizard does not own Yu-Gi-Oh

Claimer: Chiwizard owns all original characters and the Ban-Ile concept

* * *

- 

Being a cross-ocean trip, the flight was supposed to last for two days.

Well, the onboard time was supposed to be something like fifteen to twenty hours, but then there was the International Date Line to consider, and in hopes of keeping Jou's annoying-ance to a minimum, they all agreed that the flight was going to last for 'two days'.

This, Jonouchi resented.

He wasn't _dumb_, he just didn't pay as much attention to same little boring details as other people.

'Like that **Kaiba**,' he thought to himself, glaring up towards the front of the plane where the Kaiba brothers had staked out their seats.

Not wanting to sit near certain-tall-guys-who-shall-remain-nameless, Jou had staked out a seat in the back of the plane. Yuugi and Duke were both sitting closer to the front, but still in the same section that he was. And Mokuba did come back to hang out with them every once in a while.

Mokuba, unlike his brother, was a cool guy. Kid, whatever. Right now he was getting tips on card strategies from Yuugi, with Duke translating for Yuugi. That used to be Jou's job.

Right now, though, Jou was staring out the window and feeling really superfluous. Not that he'd ever be able to pronounce 'superfluous' correctly out loud, but he knew what it was and that was how he was feeling right now.

Jou considered himself a 'man of action'. But sitting on a plane for a few hours gave him too much time to think about all the 'actions' he'd never been too good at.

He'd hid the large pile of bills and threatening letters from collectors when they'd all been hiding out at his house…

Maybe it had been repossessed by now. Maybe it wasn't even still standing and the demons were using it for toothpicks. Hopefully, the stuff Yuugi'd brought over was still tucked safely away…man, who knew if his little buddy's house was still in one piece?

'And who knows…maybe Dad came back,' he idly wondered.

Yeah, and his dad would throw a fit to find his darling 'useless brat' of a son had skipped town in the week he'd been who-knew-where. Then he'd go get drunk, get arrested, and this time there'd be no ashamed blond at the police station, forking over weeks of saved paper-route wages to pay for the bail…

- 

'Don't think about that,' Jou told himself, 'Think about something else.'

At least he'd had enough change for the postage on that postcard…he'd specifically gotten the one with the best and most realistic picture on it for Shizuka. Not that she'd really believe he was in Australia! Too bad he'd never be able to afford to send her anywhere nice like that…

A shadow passed over the window that Jou was staring out of, jerking him from his thoughts. Was it a cloud? No clouds…a bird, then…

…But a bird THIS high?

The only bird who _should_ be this high was Yuugi's pet Blue Jay. And that bird was sitting on Yuugi's shoulder, eyeing the cards with a skeptical expression on its little beaked face.

Jou tried to see where the shadow-making thing had gone, but there was nothing out there.

No point in telling the others. Kaiba would have a field day pointing out that 'nothing outside of an idiot mutt's imagination could be hovering around the plane', and then he'd laugh at him _again_.

And besides, his stomach's perfectly timed clock was insisting that it was dinnertime.

* * *

- 

Traffic on the railway was pretty light this time of night - or day, if you counted by the clock instead of by where the sun was. So there weren't many people to wonder at the strange young men traveling together - and even those who noticed them didn't care.

Which was fine. Bakura was having more than enough trouble keeping the other up and moving without the addition of pathetic mortal curiosity. The **last** thing either of them needed was to be harangued by nosy humans.

Injuries gotten by capture, aggravated by a total lack of any sort of treatment, and that wasn't even counting the extra goodies the Hive-Queen had inflicted - when you thought about it, having the other still able to function as much as he could was probably a miracle right there.

It didn't take anything smarter than an idiot with a rock for a brain to know that Yami was probably _this_ close to Going on the both of them. Even so, one still had to wonder how the Human Bitch had figured it out.

After having a quiet chuckle over that last thought, Bakura belatedly noticed that Yami was watching him with a perplexed expression.

'Mental note, fiendish amusement to be internalized for the time being,' Bakura told himself as he absently gave the other a once-over.

"Despite your ego, all that sleep isn't doing a thing for your pathetic complexion," Bakura remarked.

- 

Okay, and now to wait for Yami to figure this out: Ego equals pride…on this, pride from appearance…add the human notion of 'beauty sleep' and…

"All that time hasn't done much for your sense of humor, I see," Yami replied after thinking for a bit.

'Time to returning insult…one minute twelve seconds,' the white-haired one smirked internally, 'Factor in use of human metaphor and **total** lack of decent comeback…hah! I win!'

"So, where are we anyway?" Yami added, apparently not noticing the internal scorekeeping Bakura was doing.

"Basically, Siberia," Bakura replied, "We're taking the long way so your little friend and her boyfriends will be sure to get lost."

Yami's response was a mumble of 'ah-hm', which sounded enough like an affirmative to count, and the other Ban-Ile's attention wandered to fiddling with the large, furry overcoat and other assorted cold-weather gear he - and also Bakura - were currently sporting.

At least he wasn't out of it enough to ask where all that had come from. There **was** a line between ignorance and stupidity, you know.


	33. Are you sleeping?

Hey, _I_ haven't been updating too slowly...

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**You're** the one who hasn't been reviewing fast enough.

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Disclaimer: Chiwizard does not own Yu-Gi-Oh

Claimer: Chiwizard owns the plot, all original characters, and all the other sorry stuff she pulled out of her head for this story

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It was the middle of the night on the plane when Jou had to go to the bathroom. Much to his annoyance, the bathroom on this plane was in the front instead of in the back, which meant he had to walk past _Kaiba_ to get there.

0-

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He expected Mokuba to be asleep, but something else made him stop and check again.

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Kaiba was asleep too.

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_Awww_, and he had his arm around his little brother too. The brothers Kaiba were leaning against each other, where they were sitting was bathed in moonlight from the plane windows - man, where WAS a camera when you needed one?

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Stifling a snicker at the sight, Jou continued onwards to the bathroom.

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His happy mood turned back into annoyance when he found the bathroom up front to be just as cramped as any other airplane bathroom. Jeeze, a plane this big and they couldn't afford a _decently_-sized john?

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Jou was in the middle of stepping out of the bathroom when the floor seemed to jerk out from under him. Not too much, but enough to make him stumble and curse. Couldn't afford a decent pilot either, huh? Or at least one that could **avoid** ramming birds in midair…

0-

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Déjà vu - there weren't SUPPOSED to be any birds this high.

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Other things flew, though, like bats and Ban-Ile and - and _demons!_

0-_  
_

Could demons get this high?

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Something that was a LOT bigger than a measly bird flitted past the windows.

0-

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'Oh, this is JUST what we need right now!' Jou yelled at himself, remembering all-too-well the _size_ of some of the demons who'd been chasing Yami.

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A hand grabbed his arm.

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"Shit -!" Jou cursed, only to be startled into silence when he realized who had grabbed him.

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"_Kaiba_," he hissed in annoyance.

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Much to his surprise, the stick-up-his-you-know-what brother of Mokuba didn't respond. He seemed to be listening for something…and now that he was curious, Jou listened as hard as he could and heard…some kind of really soft 'thup' noise coming from the roof.

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Then another, and another…and two more…

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"…If those were _all_ from birds, den your pilot really **sucks**," Jou made a point of mentioning once the noises stopped.

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Retardedly skeptical as he was of the dangers they were probably facing, Kaiba's expression showed that he knew he couldn't pass this off as birds without proving the blond right. Something Kaiba would quite clearly not be caught **dead** doing.

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And with that it mind, the brunette set off for the cockpit, Jou following behind. Besides, if it _had_ been birds…dealing with Kaiba's attitude would be worth the laugh.

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…

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Except - it wasn't birds.

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The cockpit on the jumbo jet was located up on the top level of the plane - just a couple of cabins perched up top and at the front, really - and the stairs to that level were actually folded up, not being needed until just now.

0-

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Up on this level, several loud noises rang out just as Kaiba put his hand on the handle of the door at the top of the stairs. When the handle was turned, every last noise instantly stopped.

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The way to the cockpit looked clear enough…but the one thing it _shouldn't_ look like was being completely empty.

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"Um," Jou asked, when the two of them had opened the cockpit door to look inside, "Ya did bring a pilot, right?"

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Biting back a scathing retort on the stupidity of doing otherwise, Kaiba closed the door and tried to figure this out.

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Not only was there supposed to be a pilot, there was _also_ supposed to be a copilot and two more people to work shifts with them. The plane wasn't supposed to be left on autopilot - which it was - without someone at least monitoring it inside the cockpit. And the people in question had all been present back in Sydney.

0-

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And what was that sound? It sounded like -

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The blond stiffened.

"DUCK!" he cried, diving to the floor.

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Even though he still held to the opinion that Jonouchi was an ignorant fool, Kaiba's reflexes obeyed the warning before he could stop them.

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Which was why the monster who had just jumped towards them from the other side of the room hit the cockpit door instead. The force of the monster's leap was such that the reinforced steel door's hinges snapped like toothpicks, sending door and demon hurtling into the cockpit.

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Before the autopilot could correct it, the plane nosed sharply down and to the side.

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Humans and demon-monsters alike, caught off guard by the way the floor was tilting, slipped and slammed into the wall. Luckily for their continued survival, the humans in question got back on their feet first.

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"What the heck's going on!" Kaiba growled, equally stunned by this surprise assault and infuriated that he'd been caught so off guard.

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But still, _monsters?_ How were you supposed to be on guard for that!

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"You **do** remember dat talk we had, back at your place?" Jou said next, "And especially da part about da big an' nasty demons?"

0-

"You expect me to believe -"

"Come ON!" the blond interrupted him, "You almost got yer head ripped off just now and you STILL can't figure it out?"

0-

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Not sure how to respond to that accusation, Kaiba didn't respond. And there wouldn't have been much time to anyway, since the autopilot was finally correcting the user error that had pulled it from the programmed flight path.

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First, it corrected the steep dive with an equally steep climb.

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This sent the many loose objects in the plane - including people - sailing towards the back.


	34. The Decisive Measure

...Well, if I'd _noticed_ any interest in this story, maybe I'd update faster!

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Disclaimer: Chiwizard does not own Yu-Gi-Oh

Claimer: Chiwizard owns the plot and the Ban-Ile concept...and if you ask her very nicely she'll even share some of it with you

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* * *

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And that's why Yuugi, Mokuba, and Duke found them - once they managed to climb closer to the front of the plane - in a heap on the floor, not far from the bottom of the stairs. Jou had landed face-first, while Seto Kaiba's landing upon his rear end had been softened by the back of the blond-haired teen.

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Both were stunned from the fall, and when they recovered their senses, looked completely _horrified_ to be touching each other.

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This was considered funny until the plane tilted to the side, the autopilot regaining the original direction of the flight path, and the other three remembered what had so rudely awakened them in the first place.

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"Big brother, what's going on with the pilots?" Mokuba asked.

"**What** pilots?" Jou interrupted, "Da only thing up DERE is a nest a' **demons!**"

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"_Damn_ it!" Duke cursed, glaring up at the shut - and distinctly battered-looking - door leading to the cockpit.

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"_De-Demons?_" Mokuba gasped. He'd forgotten about that part of their friend's story…something that made the Millennium Ankt around his neck feel really heavy all of a sudden.

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Nobody else looked any happier about the situation - not even Kaiba, who didn't believe enough in the supernatural to be scared, but who did not enjoy being attacked and having his plane hijacked in any way, shape, or form.

Even though the demons wouldn't bother with keeping the plane flying once they'd gotten all the stuff they wanted from its passengers…

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"Maybe we should bail out? We have parachutes, right?" Mokuba asked his brother.

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"That wouldn't do us much good," Duke snorted, "In case you've all forgotten, we're currently located over a particularly large body of water, and as soon as the demons figure out we're not in the plane, they'll come right back. Which they will almost immediately, since some of them are most likely still outside the plane."

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"Thanks fer da ray of sunshine," Jou muttered, "Guess da only thing ta do is kick dose monsta's asses! Am I right?"

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"I don't think I'll dignify that with a response," Kaiba said to himself softly, smirking when the blond overheard him anyway and went red in the face.

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Fighting to take back the plane wasn't the _greatest_ option they had…well, actually, the scary part was that fighting WAS the greatest option they had. But the demons busily smashing at the door separating them from their prey were more than ready to fight back.

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A few more heavy blows, and the door itself sprang from its hinges and clattered down the staircase. Duke, Jou, and Kaiba (the first line of defense) sprang out of its way, while Yuugi and Mokuba (the second line) scuttled around behind the nearest partition for safety. Kikki fluttered back there with them, although the blue jay really considered himself part of the first line of defense.

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There were only five demons, but three of them were the big demons that everyone but Mokuba, Kaiba, Kikki, and Duke had seen while trying to escape with Yami. The other two had the leaner lines of the 'tracker' demons.

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Stupidly, Kaiba tried to hit one of the more heavily-built regular demons with a makeshift metal club. It bounced off the demon's chest. And the demon, rasping in what appeared to be laughter, backhanded Kaiba into Jou, sending them sailing into the partition.

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"You no fight," one of the other demons laughed, "We special fighters! We come to kill with flitter powers!"

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"Whatever that means," Mokuba mumbled to himself.

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But the meaning was revealed shortly, as a sixth demon appeared in the ruined doorway and slithered down the ruined staircase. It could only barely bare her weight, and the metal groaned with stress.

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"So, THIS is the pathetic group who we are called to hunt?" the snake-bodied demon hissed in amusement, "If this how our Hive-Queens order us, there will soon be new ones about, I think…"

The demon had to pause to deal with Duke. He tried to dive through the gap in the other demons to get at her specifically, but with a roundhouse tail-slap sent the Ban-Ile back towards the others. Duke landed hard and face-down, but that was intentional, since landing on his opened wings would have damaged them.

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"Even a single pathetic Ban-Ile is no cause for US to hunt you," the Lady sneered, "But I suppose one must never turn down a warm meal…preferably still alive, and THIS will make certain you are a most _willing_ meal!"

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And the demon held out the object in her hands, golden and shining and metallic - a pair of scales, crafted by human workmanship, and inscribed with the stylized eye characteristic to most of the Millennium artifacts.

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"The…Scales!" Duke gasped, unable to hold it in.

"I knew YOU would be able to recognize this," the Lady sneered, "Do you know what it does, oh-soon-to-be-soulless?"

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Duke slowly shook his head, while the others just stared in horror. They had never really seen one of these Millennium items in action before, but they were all certain it wouldn't be anything good - and this even included Kaiba, who was starting to feel a little less skeptic about this whole 'demon' concept the others had been pushing on him.

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"Well, I suppose I'll ask a question," the Lady suggested, "Lie and the scales tilt. Lie too much and you suffer something incredibly painful and terrible! Doesn't that sound like FUN?"

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The other demons laughed, except for the trackers, who were too stupid to laugh. They did thump their tails in excitement, but that was more than likely because of the stink of scared human that was filling the air.

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"Alright now…you! Ban-Ile!" the Lady said, "What is…the name of your clan, or whatever pathetic order you vile creatures have without any proper swarms."

Duke blinked, then grimaced and said, "I don't have any tribe."

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One of the two scales tipped alarmingly.

"_Liar_," the demon purred, "How about you, little human? What's your tribe…or city, or hovel, or whatever."

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She pointed at Yuugi with her tail. He blinked, and felt himself feel a little bit braver as the Lady seemed confused when he didn't respond. She was used to be obeyed, and the opposite had a rousing effect on her temper.

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"He doesn't talk," Duke said, before the Lady's tail thrashing could turn into anything more painful and damaging.

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Telling this truthful information made the scale tip back to even again.

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"I suppose _that_ means he truly doesn't talk," the Lady mused, "Oh well, I'll just have to see if he won't _scream_ while his liver is being torn out…"

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(**No way, because you don't like liver**) Yuugi suddenly signed.

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Detecting his lie, the scales tipped.

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While the Lady tried to figure out what had just happened, Yuugi, the plan he had concocted in the last five seconds validated, was frantically signing to the others. They had to keep the demons off-guard, and make THEM lie! 

Those who could understand JSL nodded, though they didn't quite understand what Yuugi was getting at, and he had no time to tell them.

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"What are you little maggots scheming?" the Lady hissed.

"We're planning how we're gonna defeat ya and yer little cronies," Jou boasted.

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The scales went back to even.

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"I wonder if you really know how to use that thing," Kaiba said, understanding what was happening the least but going along anyway.

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"Of course! I know all its secrets _perfectly!_" snapped the Lady.

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The scales tipped - she was lying.

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"Not so great after all, I see," Duke smirked, "I bet you wouldn't be able to fight five-against-one if we were all Ban-Ile warriors and you didn't have your little toy."

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"You're just saying stupid things to stall your demises," the Lady hissed.

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The scales tipped again, speaking against her.

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"Someone's turning into a Pinocchio," Mokuba commented - having figured out what was going on, "Maybe you should stop lying so much."

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"GRAWR!" the Lady roared, "You will NOT disrespect me further, you - you gibbering MONKEYS!"

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"Of course we will, you batty old hack," Duke laughed, "You just lied **again**!"

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The scales seemed to sway a bit on their own, perhaps debating whether the Lady's angry demand could really be considered a lie.

On the other hand, if Duke's statement about the Lady lying was **true**, that meant that the Lady HAD lied, which would tip the scales all the way down on her side.

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In the end, the real deciding factor was that the Millennium Scales were an object filled with human magic, forged by humans to be used by humans on other humans, and that gave all such objects a human-styled sense of humor.

And the Scales had no interest in insulting demons who called the species that created them gibbering monkeys.

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The lowered side of the Scales tipped all the way it could go, and the whole thing started glowing brightly.

The Lady shrieked and flung the object away from herself and towards the humans, as if by doing that the magic would hit someone else.

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The Scales erupted in a violent flash of light and magic, and the Lady screamed as the magical artifact punished her nonetheless.

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But the power of the Millennium Scales unfortunately triggered the powers of the Millennium Ankt and Millennium Eye, causing them to release similar bright bursts of power.

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The combined energy that was released had a result similar to that of a large bomb going off.


	35. Magical Hangovers aren't much better

That's it, I'm stuck.

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Have been staring at my comp.screen for weeks and weeks, and I can't get this stupid fic moving again. So unless you come here and discover that this _isn't_ the most recently posted chapter of the fic, I will still be on unofficial hiatus.

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Disclaimer: Chiwizard does not own Yu-Gi-Oh

Claimer: Chiwizard is the owner of the Ban-Ile Concept and all its other made-up subsideraries (patent pending)

* * *

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Still tired beyond belief, without even knowing where or when he'd gone to sleep, he finally woke up.

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His first coherent thought was that waking up had been a **really** bad move, judging from how his entire body seemed to have been recently recast in lead without his knowing, and especially judging from how it wouldn't stop throbbing and aching so damn much.

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Seto's next thought went something along the lines of, 'What the _hell_ happened to me?'

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Even though he couldn't immediately recall what he had been doing prior to being rendered unconscious, being in this situation suggested that something really bad had been going on.

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Bad and involving big scaly monsters.

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No, wait, that was stupid.

Therefore, it had really involved…

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…Some people, his little brother, and…big scaly monsters?

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In the interest of proving this annoying little piece of stupidity wrong, because monsters didn't really exist, Seto forced his unresponsive body to get back in gear and worked his way back to full consciousness.

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"Okay, look," someone was saying as the muddled world around him began organizing itself into its proper shape, "I know dat Duke, an' dat weird Mori guy, and dat even weirder Pegasus guy talked about ya like ya was smart an' all. Am I right?"

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There was an affirming-sounding sort of chirp sound made in response to this.

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"So why won't ya go help us out and look for da others already?"

0-

In reply, whatever was doing the chirping let off a long string of chirps.

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"Wait, slow down, I don't speak bird like dey do!"

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Wondered what this was all about, Seto opened his eyes - paused briefly to squint as they adjusted to sudden, painful sunlight - and moved his head in the direction the voice he was hearing was coming from.

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What he was looking at, once Seto had had a minute to think about it, appeared to be Jonouchi the blonde blockhead…arguing with a bird.

And not just that - Jonouchi was **losing** said argument to said bird.

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Now the blonde was frowning at the small blue-and-white bird on the ground in front of him, clearly trying to figure out what sort of argument he was going to use next. The bird, on the other hand, was looking up at the blond with an expression that, if he'd seen it on a human face, Seto would have sworn was somehow complacently mocking.

Even if that was the case, you couldn't very well blame the bird for having that kind of attitude.

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"…_What_ are you doing?" Seto finally asked.

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The bird twittered something, Jonouchi blinked, and much to Seto's surprise the blonde greeted him with an expression of…was that relief?

0-

Well, whether it was or wasn't, that expression was soon replaced with one of annoyance as the blonde also registered how very pathetic he looked like to his observer right now.

0-

0-

"I guess yer head's hard enough ta use as a decent kickball after all," the blonde said.

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But Seto wasn't about to let this go.

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"Why are you arguing with a bird?" the brunette prodded.

After a moment's consideration, he added, "Or rather, why are you losing an argument with a bird?"

0-

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"You shut up," Jonouchi growled, "I can't believe I was even worried about ya in da first place, you stupid jerk…"

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Ignoring the other's need to run his mouth, Seto proceeded to look around, wanting to locate his little brother. It came as quite a shock to find that aside from the blonde and the bird, he was completely alone.

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And the three of them were currently located in the middle of nowhere.

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"Where the hell is this?" Seto growled.

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"How the hell should I know?" Jonouchi replied, "I woke up here same as you, _Kaiba_. And I also woke up a hell of a lot **earlier**, sleepin' beauty…"

0-

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The bird gave a loud chirp, apparently adding its own opinion to the argument - and furthermore, what the hell was a bird doing here? The presence of humans should have scared away all the wildlife in whatever god-forsaken dump they'd landed in.

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Thinking of the word 'landed' reminded Seto that the last place he remembered being had been one of his private planes. Specifically, a particularly large private plane, flying over an ocean…neither of which were in sight at the moment.

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"I don't suppose you know what happened to us, then?" the brunette mentioned, not expecting a response.

0-

"Oh no, dat's actually da simple an' reasonable part," Jonouchi replied, being surprisingly factual, "When dat demon-lady threw dat exploding scale-thingy at us, it did something ta da other two Millennium-thingies we already had, and I figure it was some kinda magic-teleport-thing…but den again, YOU don't believe in those kinds of 'hocus-pocus mind tricks', so why did I bother tellin' you?"

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"Good question," Seto muttered to himself, before bracing his arms and attempting to sit upright.

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'Attempting' being the key word.

0-

The world had seemed pretty flat and stable before, but now it was starting to lurch and twirl around rather nauseatingly… 

Just staying propped up on his elbows took substantial amounts of effort, and trying to get any higher caused his arms to slip out from where they had been bearing his weight -

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But before Seto's head could make a painful re-acquaintance with the rock-hard ground below him, someone grabbed hold of him and helped in the rest of the way to his goal of an upright seated position.

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As soon as he could sit up without any additional support, Seto swatted at Jonouchi in annoyance and snapped, "_Don't_ touch me."

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"Feh, not like anybody'd ever WANT ta," the blonde snorted, sitting back and folding his arms with a huff, "I just don't want ta carry yer sorry ass outta here after ya beat your stupid head back in is all!"

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Like always, the blonde's stupidity proved irritating. Seto clung to that irritation like a lifeline, as it gave him something to focus on besides how much like crud he was currently feeling. If he'd hit his head on something, did that mean he had a concussion? The only thing he knew about concussions was that you weren't supposed to sleep if you had one…if anything else on the subject had been covered in health class, Seto was going to feel **really** stupid for dying because he couldn't have been bothered to attend…

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'Don't think about that. Focus! The idiot's staring at you,' Seto snapped at himself.

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"You ain't gonna die on me, are ya?" the blonde was asking.

Did he actually sound worried? Yeah right, only worried that if someone found him here with a dead body, he'd be accused of murder…and for all Seto knew, the idiot was the one to whack him over the head in the first place.

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"I wouldn't _dare_," Seto forced out through his dizzy moment, "Give you the _satisfaction_…"

0-

"At least ya've got the energy ta insult me," he thought he heard the blonde mutter.

"All right, up ya get!" Jonouchi said next.

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Much to Seto's astonished annoyance, the blonde idiot proceeded to hook his arms around Seto's upper body and then bodily dragged him to his feet. And really, he would have preferred to stay seated…down on the ground the world had seemed to be so much more stable and flat and most importantly **unmoving** -

"Shit yer're damn heavy," the blonde had the audacity to complain next as he kept the taller and much more dizzy brunette from losing his balance.

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Burden secured, Jonouchi turned towards wherever he must have figured civilization was and began moving off, going incredibly slowly, bringing Seto with him, and leaving only one question in Seto's mind: what he HELL did the stupid mutt think he was doing? This seemed to be somewhat important, so he decided to voice it.

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"Hey, either I carry you now or I'll just have ta carry ya afta ya crack yer head open on the ground again," Jonouchi curtly responded, "Hell, at least **aftawards** I wouldn't have ta deal with yer damn mouth…"

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The bird, which the two quarrelers had forgotten about by now, jumped off the perch it had been watching all of this rather amusing spectacle from and fluttered over to a perch on Seto's shoulder. Now that he could get a closer look, Seto discerned that this was in fact Yuugi's pet Blue Jay, who had apparently been sent with them to…to wherever this was.

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Why the idiot had been arguing with it could wait for when the infernal pounding on the inside of Seto's head went away.

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"C'mon, jerk, stay awake," Jonouchi was saying now, "Insult me if you want, but don't you dare pass out on me…not with a concussion…"

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Deciding to indulge the nimrod, Seto responded with a quiet murmur of, "I…_know_ that…_idiot_…"

…


	36. Luck has nothing to do with it

_There's no need to fear_...INSPIRATION is here!

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The Writer's Block has been defeated! _YAAAAAYYYY!_

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Hah hah, seriously, I surprised myself with this, to be honest. Who knew working on four fics simultainously was actually a cure for writer's block? Got through the block on the others at the same time too, hee hee!

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Ah, enough celebrating. TO THE FIC!

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Disclaimer: Yugioh not owned by me

Claimer: I own what I invented (as if THAT wasn't obvious already!)

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…

They were lost. Hopelessly, unforgivably Lost with a capital L.

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And to make things worse, they were Lost in what had to be the most unpleasant place ever invented: The Wilderness.

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Mokuba, despite his large amount of common sense, was almost as used to the constant presence of technology as his older brother, and so being stranded in the woods was very frustrating for him. Woods, jungle…eh, same thing. That jungles were just wetter, warmer, and more bug-infested than regular woods were the only differences Mokuba knew of. And he had wanted to COME here?

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On the plus side, not two hours after waking up and finding himself stranded - and alone - in the middle of the kami-forsaken jungle, Duke and Yuugi had found him. Well, Duke had been flying and had spotted Mokuba by sheer dumb luck, but the important thing was that they were back together again.

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"I hope my brother's okay," Mokuba thought aloud as he and Yuugi walked along the sort-of path Duke had found for them (the Ban-Ile was flying ahead, looking for signs of…well, really, anything at all), "And Jou too, but I kinda hope they aren't together…they'll probably kill each other within five minutes."

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Yuugi smiled briefly at the mental image, but was still kind of bummed out. And why shouldn't he be, either? They were stranded in the evilest and biggest jungle in the whole wide world!

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'Hey, wait a second,' Mokuba thought to himself after another minute of trudging along, 'Don't tigers and stuff like them live in jungles like these? …And don't tigers _eat_ people?'

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Just as Mokuba remembered this tiny tidbit of information, a shadow of something appeared over his and Yuugi's heads, dropping down practically on top of them.

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"Will you calm down!" Duke snapped when he landed, a little freaked out by Mokuba's sudden screaming, "You don't want to attract predators here, do you?"

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"Well ex-_cuse_ me!" Mokuba snapped, "I thought you were a tiger coming to eat us! Forgive me for freaking out 'cuz I thought I was gonna die or something!"

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"Well, now if any tigers wanted to find you and eat you, they know _exactly_ where to go!" Duke snapped.

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There was a momentary pause in their argument, and Yuugi took that opportunity to sign something. Mokuba couldn't understand it, of course, but Duke blinked at the mute boy before smirking a little bit.

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"Good point," the black-haired Ban-Ile chuckled.

"What?" Mokuba asked.

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"Yuugi says tigers don't live in the Amazon Rainforest, but that jaguars do. I think we should take his word for it, since jaguars are smaller than tigers."

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That was when Mokuba made a tiny personal vow to learn sign language, especially if Yuugi was more knowledgeable about dangers and predators than either Duke or himself was. The scare over, Duke was finally able to mention what he had seen to make him return out of the blue like that. Up ahead were some old, overgrown ruins that would provide them with a place to stay, at least for now.

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What Duke didn't mention - maybe because he couldn't tell from high above - was that the ruins were constructed on a very familiar pattern. Even without seeing the faded writing carved into some of the walls, Mokuba picked out the huge roofless sections as examples of prime Ban-Ile architecture right off the bat.

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"Well, we _thought_ one of the tribes had hid their item in the Amazon, didn't we?" Mokuba said, laughing at Duke's astonishment that one of his human companions had figured this fact out before he did.

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But if one of the Millennium Items was hidden in this old ruin, it was hidden extremely well. The three of them stayed there for a few days, searching, but each of them privately suspected that whichever tribe had been in hiding here had probably built dozens of places like this, to keep the demons confused as to which one the Item was actually located in. The chances of it being hidden here were really very low.

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Yuugi was idly poking around in one of the mostly-collapsed rooms - this was a room only he could get into, because the entrance was almost completely blocked off - when he found something weird. It was a big, flat stone disc with odd writings carved into it. Not too unusual, except that these writings were, odd as they were, quite obviously human-made. That and the fact that the pendant Yami had given him only buzzed near the huge disk and nowhere else in the ruins showed something was up.

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Had there ever been a rule that the artifacts had to be left inside of _whole_ human ruins?

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It took Yuugi over an hour to wriggle through the pile blocking the room, find Mokuba, and convince him to come check it out without the other boy being able to understand him, but finally Mokuba was checking out the disk and coming to the same conclusion that Yuugi had already reached.

"Maybe this WAS inside some temple or something," the ten year old added, "And because the demons or something were coming the Ban-Ile moved this huge disk that the Item is inside of to here so it would still be safe."

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Yuugi nodded - this had occurred to him as well - and even though Mokuba couldn't understand him, signed, (**Do you think we can open it with your key**)

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"You want to see if this Ankt-thingy can open this stone disk thing?" Mokuba inquired immediately, startling Yuugi badly.

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(**You can understand this now? Since when**) Yuugi signed at Mokuba.

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To the small teen's disappointment, Mokuba held up his hands and admitted that he hadn't really understood Yuugi's sign language. Mokuba had seen the signs for 'opening with key', realized what the finger-gestures were supposed to depict, and from that had recognized what Yuugi had been trying to talk about.

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"My brother's not the only language genius in the family, after all," Mokuba continued, "And I figure it would suck if I couldn't hold a halfway decent conversation with you by the end of this whole adventure, Yuugi. But anyway, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try to use the Ankt-thingy on this thing…"

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Mokuba pulled the Millennium Ankt out from underneath his shirt and pressed it against the center of the disk. Nothing happened, but Mokuba was undeterred.

"Putting the keyhole right in the middle isn't a very secret way of doing this anyway," the black-haired ten-year-old said, moving to push the Ankt against the sides of the disk.

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Right at the bottom, the Ankt hit an indentation that was otherwise completely invisible and started to glow, very softly. To Yuugi, it almost seemed to be waiting for something. Mokuba seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because he said "If you're really a key, you can open this too, c'mon!" as if expecting the Ankt to be able to understand him.

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Well, it _was_ a magic key, so maybe it did. It sure seemed that way, since right after Mokuba spoke the Ankt glowed much more brightly and slid inside the whole as if it was a keyhole. Following the theme, Mokuba turned the Ankt like a key and it slid right out again - with a golden necklace looped around it. The gold necklace wasn't very big, and the only decorative thing on it was the weird Eye that showed where the front was.

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Yuugi and Mokuba left the room with the stone disk right afterwards, the necklace safely hidden in a pocket, and ran to find Duke. But Duke wasn't alone when they found him.

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No, when they found Duke, he was standing in front of the entrance to the ruins, talking to some archeologist-type person. Around the small clearing surrounding the ruins, more people were running around setting up tents and equipment.

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"There you guys are!" Duke grinned when he spotted them staring at the really sudden change in their scenery, "Great time to get lost - right when we're being rescued!"

"Are you serious!" Mokuba exclaimed, "This is so _awesome!_"

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Things moved quickly after that. The three of them spent another night in the ruins - this time inside of a tent, which was wonderful - before being shipped out via jeep to the nearest parts of civilization.

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Duke had made up a good cover story for them, leaving out every last bit of the supernatural circumstances. Apparently, their plane had suffered a mysteriously malfunctioning engine problem, leading to the plane's failure and crash. All the passengers had bailed out with parachutes, and the three of them had drifted very far away from the others in their group and gotten lost in the Amazon.

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It was almost amazing that in the middle of all the fuss and being shipped through various villages to the nearest city with an airport that Mokuba and Yuugi found any time at all to show him the Item they had managed to find. Duke didn't know much about it except that it was probably the one called the Millennium Tauk.

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"If it is, this is a great find," Duke had continued, "One of the sorcerers who made the Items was a Seer, who could see the future, and their Item could do it as well. If the demons got their hands on _this_ one, we'd _never_ be able to get any of the artifacts past them."

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The instant Mokuba got his fingers on a computer with internet access, he immediately scoured Kaiba Corp's system for any sign of his brother's survival. It was a very pleasant surprise to discover Seto Kaiba had initiated a widespread search for his little brother (and maybe some of the other missing passengers of his jumbo jet) barely days earlier.

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The really weird surprise was that Seto Kaiba had initiated the search on a computer located in Mexico, a ways north of Brazil (where they were)…and the **unpleasant** surprise was that the computer was actually located inside of a Mexican _hospital_.

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The second Mokuba got into the room where his brother (oh, and Jou as well) was and saw how he had a bandage on his head, the younger Kaiba nearly tackled his older brother and immediately began pestering him with demands if he was okay and what the heck had happened to him.

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"Dammit man, don't you go off and leave me this worried ever again!" Jou had immediately greeted Yuugi, giving his smaller friend a friendly headlock in the process, "And especially don't you leave me alone with dat stiff again either!"

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"What, don't I get a hug or anything?" Duke asked the room after a short pause, eyeing Jou and Seto Kaiba with a smug expression.

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That smugness became painful unhappiness when Kikki chose to flutter over and give the Ban-Ile a welcome-back head-pecking for a greeting.

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With this leg of their ordeal over, the whole lot of them spent the rest of the week sharing that hospital room. That was how long Seto had to stay there - he had gotten a triple-concussion or something similar to that somehow - and Duke, Mokuba, and Yuugi needed the rest after their jungle adventure anyway.


	37. What now, huh?

Okay, fine. I know this hasn't been updated for months, so none of you figured out that the last chapter was the end of the hiatus and let me know you were still alive or whatever.

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After _this_ chapter, though, my standard policy on reviews and updates goes back into effect. Basically, if you don't review, I don't update. I know reviews are optional and all, but I can't tell how I'm doing if you don't review, which means I don't know if I should keep writing because the story's decent or stop writing because the story's terrible...you get my drift, I hope.

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Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh is not owned here

Claimer: I own the made-up stuff that I invented!

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"That's three down, with only four to go," Duke said, eyeing the Millennium Items that rested on the table before them.

The Eye, Ankt, and Tauk gleamed almost innocently golden as the group stared at them.

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"Wait, what about dat scaly-thing that demon-lady wanted ta use on us?" Jou piped up after another minute.

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Briefly, they thought back to the disastrous end of their last plane trip: Demons hijacking the plane, Yuugi's idea of tricking the demoness into lying, her last-second throw of the Scales before the explosion of golden magic light…

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"Hey, maybe that means the demons don't have it anymore!" Mokuba grinned, "Maybe it even sank to the bottom of the ocean forever!"

Despite the happy mood this idea created, Yuugi reluctantly held out his hands and signed, (**No not good. We need all seven remember**)

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Mokuba - whom Jou and Yuugi had been teaching how to read some JSL over the last couple of days - blinked at the gestures before groaning, "I forgot…that guy Mori did say we needed seven…_shoot!_"

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"Well, no sweat!" Jou said next, "C'mon Mokuba, you guys must have submarines or something, don't ya? If its in da ocean, we can go get it!"

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"Unless the demons have recovered it by now…which I wouldn't put past them, to be perfectly honest…" Duke mentioned, drawing an annoyed glare from Jou.

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Completely ignoring all of this petty squabbling, Kaiba kept staring at the Items sitting on the table. He was feeling very weirdly conflicted about everything now, a feeling that he kept hidden with a flawless poker face. Okay, Ban-Ile might be real, and these artifacts might be at least valuable if not actually - even mentally Kaiba still stumbled over the word **magic** - and demons might be real, bad, and most importantly extremely dangerous…but there was still _something_ Kaiba wasn't getting, something that would push all these unrelated facts into their proper places so he could figure things out.

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"What…powers…do these…things…have, again?" Kaiba asked, speaking in the brief second of space that everyone caught their breaths at.

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Duke rolled his eyes, irritated at losing his train of thought in the middle of an argument that he was winning, and pointed to each item in turn.

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"The Eye can read minds to see past deceptions, the Ankt can unlock souls and open pathways to different parts of reality, and the Tauk has the power to see the future and past," Duke recited, "…Oh, and they can all do various unpleasant things to people's souls. Did I miss anything?"

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"…You once implied that the necklace was created by a person who had that same ability, did you not?" Kaiba continued, following an vague idea that had occurred to him when Mokuba had mentioned this part of their Jungle Survival story.

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"Well, yeah," Duke shrugged, not seeing where this was going, "The Tauk was created by a powerful Seer. Each of the human magic-users gave their Item similar abilities…what's your point?"

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"So, the Eye was created by a telepathic guy or something?" Mokuba piped up, curious.

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"A Crafter," Duke corrected, "Old word for those artists and such who could make anything, as long as their clients could think up exactly what they wanted…very perceptive people, probably all at least a little bit telepathic I guess. I think the Ankt's creator was some sort of Shaman…now the Scales, those are _really_ dangerous, since they were made by an Arbitrator."

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"You mean it was a judge?" Jou asked.

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The blonde proceeded to glare and growl at his companions as almost everyone else in the room goggled at him in pure astonishment.

"HEY!" Jou snapped, "Just 'cause I don't use some words a lot don't mean I don't know what dey are and what dey mean an' all!"

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"Well, whatever the reason, Jou's actually right," Duke continued, earning a full death-glare from the now very pissed off teen, "Basically, the most powerful Arbitrator of the times made the Scales. He was very well-known for having absolutely no patience for people who tried to pervert justice by lying…whether it was about a crime or about anything else whatsoever."

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(**Lots of very different people made these items**) Yuugi observed.

((**Lots and lots of crazy dirts to make bad shadow-dirt powers.**)) Kikki agreed.

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Duke and Yuugi were the only ones to understand what Kikki said - though Yuugi pretended he hadn't and Kaiba gave the bird a very odd look - but the Ban-Ile only chuckled and said, "Well, I suppose in that first war we needed all the help we could get - no matter where it came from."

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"That's four," Mokuba said, "What about the last three? Seeing what these can do, I wonder if there's anything cool left for the others!"

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"I only know about two of them really well," Duke admitted, "The final item is the most powerful and mysterious, so no one really knows that much about it at all…but the other two are pretty straightforward. One was created by a powerful warrior, so its basically a weapon. The other one was created by a thief."

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Kaiba scoffed at this notion, apparently by accident because he next looked angry that any part of this little bit of story-time interested him enough to think about disproving it. Duke seemed to take the interruption in stride, though.

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"That's exactly what _I_ thought when I first heard about this," the Ban-Ile admitted, "But this was no ordinary thief. He was something like world-renowned for his amazing heists, and how he could somehow find anything valuable and take it, no matter how well it was hidden, and how he could beat any traps, no matter how clever and dangerous they were."

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There was another minute's pause, before Duke, his face carefully expressionless, continued, "I just said he could find anything, didn't I."

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"Oh yeah," Jou laughed, "Dis is great - now we can find everything we need!"

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"We still need to find this thief's item first," Duke protested.

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"At least that will be easy," Kaiba said unexpectedly.

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(**How do you mean**) Yuugi asked.

"A thief as good as that must have been a masterful strategist," Kaiba explained smugly, "Which means he would have personally arranged this item's hiding place himself…in the most obvious place possible that no one would even consider checking first because of its total lack of secrecy."

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"…Meaning what exactly?" Jou ventured asking when he couldn't figure it out after another second.

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Kaiba rolled his eyes and snapped, "That means its in Stonehenge, you idiotic mutt."

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Jou stared at Kaiba with narrowed, angry eyes, before apparently shrugging it off as not being worth fighting over when Kaiba still had a bandage on his head and grinning, "All right, I'll go make da travel arrangements den!"

The blonde sprang to his feet and charged out of the room, set on his self-appointed mission. Duke groaned, grabbed and shoved the Tauk and Eye into a pocket, and ran after Jou with a cry of "Wait up Jonouchi, you don't speak Spanish!"

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"Dat's fine, we're in Mexico, dey speak Mexican here!" the blonde retorted, causing the people still in Kaiba's hospital room to sweat-drop.

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"I'd better keep an eye on those two," Mokuba sighed, slinging the Ankt on and hiding it under a shirt as he jumped up and ran out to follow the other two.

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"That fool is so clueless, it's a miracle he's even still _alive_," Kaiba smirked, mostly to himself.

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Apparently it wasn't enough to himself, because the next thing the brunette heard were Yuugi's hands slamming down on the table, the short mute's face clearly showing his mounting frustration and exasperation.

"What?" Kaiba said, suddenly feeling oddly defensive, "He's _clearly_ a gutter-born-and-bred **idiot**."

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(**As if Y-O-U know**) Yuugi retorted, fingerspelling the word 'you' for greater emphasis, (**What do you know about his situation or even his family**)

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"You appear to believe that I know less than you do," Kaiba countered.

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This brought on a new sight for Kaiba, and would have been such for many other people in the world as well: Yuugi was actually visibly angry, for a full minute, angry enough to keep himself from signing anything in case he said something he might regret later.

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Finally, Yuugi very carefully signed (**I can tell you his life and family didn't start this bad off at least**) before getting up and walking out of the room, signaling the end of the conversation.

…


	38. Mexico Mystery

**_SWEET MEAT ON A STICK! ITS AN UPDATE!_**

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Eh heh heh...sorry for the crazed outburst, but, you know, I wasn't sure if I was ever gonna get this fic back in gear!

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I got a little bit going, and then my inspiration vanished just in time for school starting...but who knew listening to three hours of Metallica songs cured all forms of Writer's Block? At least for me, I don't know about the rest of you guys...

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So, here you go at last! Please enjoy! And please don't kill me for making you wait this long!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

Claimer: I own this fic, this plot, and all the stuff I invented for both!

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…

"Jou, don't try becoming a travel agent until you learn to say 'no' to people, alright?" Mokuba sighed as their guide led them up the steps of the huge ancient temple they were currently visiting.

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"S'not my fault! Dey feel real bad about things and just want ta make up fer it," Jou contended, while the others sighed.

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"You didn't have to go charging around babbling about how much we - meaning my brother since he's paying for everything - wanted to go to some other country in order to visit an ancient historical sight," Mokuba continued, "At least they were okay with us just going to this one temple."

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"…Even dis one?" Jou ventured after another couple minutes of climbing had still not gotten their group even halfway up the staircase.

"…Jou, I'm going to kill you for this if this climb doesn't get me first."

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Because the Mexican authorities wanted to stay on the good side of Kaiba Corp, especially since their CEO had suffered a very serious injury inside their borders, they had been trying to pressure Seto Kaiba to accept any number of apology gifts/don't-sue-or-kill-us bribes, all of which he had easily turned down.

Because Jonouchi couldn't keep his mouth shut, those same Mexican authorities had deduced that the CEO of Kaiba Corp - and his unusual entourage - were on some sort of secret vacation involving going around and touring various historical sights and had thusly demanded that their group go to at least one temple in Mexico. Seto had argued them down to just seeing the biggest one in order to get the heck out of the country faster.

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Unfortunately, the largest one just so happened to be the Temple of the Sun. An unbelievably HUGE step pyramid that single-handedly put Egypt's almost completely to shame, located practically right in the middle of the whole country, and no doubt named as it was because during the middle of the day it turned into a gigantic oven that cooked anyone stupid enough to try ascending to its summit.

A couple of hours of climbing up unpleasantly steep stairs - as well as several breaks for water and much-needed rest - they finally made it to the top. At the top were entrances to some of the inner chambers of the temple, and even Duke welcomed this chance to duck into the cool, confined, and shady little rooms to wait out the worst of the day's heat.

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Not even their guide's lengthy and detailed explanation of the various versions of human sacrifice that had taken place on this and many other similar temples was enough to put them off. 'Them' being Duke and Seto; wisely, they had detached themselves from the rest of the group well before their guide had gotten to the icky parts.

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"You holding up all right?" Duke asked, glancing over from a wall - depicting a lot of the stuff the guide was currently explaining - to eye his erstwhile human companion.

"That's none of your business," the other retorted, idly leaning against another wall to wait for the tour to end so he could leave.

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At least, Seto had planned to lean there until he could leave, but the sharp jolt that went up and down his spine told differently. The Ban-Ile came over immediately at the sight of that. Choosing to ignore Duke's annoying noises of concern, Seto prodded the wall again, daring it to try and shock him anymore.

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Not only did it shock him again, the second time hurt worse than the first time. Seeing this, Duke pressed his own hand against the wall - and yanked it back a split-second later as if it had been burned.

"What the hell is this?" Seto demanded.

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"…I think I know how to figure that out," Duke said slowly, before (after a hasty glance around to make certain they weren't being watched) pulling out the small Millennium Eye from his pocket.

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As an incompletely-convinced Seto watched, the Ban-Ile held the item up against an eye and concentrated. The Eye glowed slightly for a few seconds, and then Duke stuck it back in his pocket with a smile.

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"Congrats, Kaiba," Duke said, "You just found a Millennium Item."

"Oh joy," Seto said, making certain to emphasize his sarcasm, "I suppose this means we can't leave until we take it, right?"

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"Yep," Duke said, nonplussed, "And because you found it, you get the honor of carrying it after we're done."

"I'll pass," Seto said, but Duke shook his head.

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"We can't carry more than one each, Kaiba. The risk of our being captured is still pretty high, and -"

"You guys sound so optimistic," Mokuba piped up as he suddenly appeared in the doorway of the room, "What'cha talking about?"

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Before Seto could tell his little brother not to concern himself with the conversation, Duke annoying said "Hey, Mokuba, guess what? Your brother just found a Millennium Item that was hidden right in this temple."

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"He did?" Mokuba blinked, then beamed, "That's awesome, Seto! This makes two, counting the other one you talked about."

Crazy magical stuff was one thing; his little brother's complete joy that his older brother was becoming proficient in said crazy magical stuff was all anyone would have ever needed to convince Seto Kaiba. And besides, at the rate things were going, Kaiba Corp. was going to be coming out with a prize-winning virtual reality game based on all this stuff, once this was over, anyway.

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Ignoring the next piece of conversation - 'How did know it was right there?' 'Oh, I used the Eye to look' 'Wow, can you do it again so I can see?' - Seto decided to study the stuff that was written on the walls of the little room. 

The pictures were all depicting some kind of story. With nothing better to do at the moment, Seto started trying to figure out what the story was about from the pictures, and it turned out to be good VR material if nothing else: strange outsiders invading a peaceful land, so that some heroic warrior-guy with a magic stick emerges from the peasant masses to save the day, yare-yare…

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"What the heck? Its _gone!_"

Duke's shout broke Seto's concentration, and the brunette looked up irritably to see Duke and Mokuba staring incredulously into a slot in the wall that hadn't been there before. There were marks in the slot indicating that something was in there before, but now it was empty.

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"Oh man, this SUCKS!" Mokuba cried.

"_Mokuba_," Seto said, warningly.

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"Fine, sorry, sorry! And this is still really bad - the demons got to this item already! We are **so** sc - in trouble," Mokuba hastily corrected himself under his brother's disapproving gaze.

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"Hold on," Duke interrupted, "I don't think…this is good, I doubt the demons have gotten here after all! Just take a look at this."

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For the heck of it, Seto took a look inside the slot with the other two.

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"Whoever took this artifact must have been Ban-Ile, they left a note carved into the rock here."

"What's it say?"

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Ban-Ile and boy were both too focused on this strange turn of events to notice Seto's sudden new pale complexion as Duke read, "'_To whoever: This treasure is reclaimed. Such a weapon cannot be left unattended for the good of the world_.' 

"And this little sign at the end of it…it's the mark of a Deyadi, looks like the _RuuSha_," Duke continued, "See, this big one here on the bottom is much older, it's the mark of the _AhnHrt_, so they must have been the ones to hide this artifact here in the first place…"

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"Duke? Can you repeat that, 'cause I have no clue what some of those words meant," Mokuba asked.

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"Hey, I told you we don't normally translate the names," Duke replied, amused, "_RuuSha_ and _AhnHrt_ are two tribes, the 'HailArmor' and the 'AirHammer'."

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"Wow…those names…are so **stupid**-sounding…"

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"**Now** do you get why we don't translate the names?"

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While Mokuba laughed, Duke sealed the artifact slot - the defensive spells reactivated instantly, making this a very nice decoy hiding spot - and turned around, expecting to see a bored Kaiba that would need to be argued with. But Kaiba was long gone, and at the moment, Jou stuck his head around the edge of the doorway.

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"Dere you guys are! C'mon, we're about ta go back down now!"

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"Jou, did you see where my brother went?" Mokuba asked as the three of them headed for the exit to the outside and a long climb down.

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"Impossible ta miss da guy," Jou grumbled, "Did something bite his ass or what? He came storming outta dat room you two were in real pissed off. And since I don't got a death wish, I didn't ask him why."

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"I'm not sure why he would take this badly," Duke said, "But pass the word to Yuugi - when we get a chance to talk privately, we have some bad news for you guys." 


	39. All together now: or not

Okay, for those of you who wanted to see the original Odd Couple...

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Well, too bad. This is a Yu-Gi-Oh fic, not old TV!

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Feh...k, fine. Shutting up now.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

Claimer: I own all the stuff whats mine!

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"So, who are you again?" Yami blinked.

"Someone who wonders if they hit their head recently," sighed the long-haired mortal, "Of course, your friend is very…um…"

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"Loud-mouthed and idiotic?" Yami offered.

"…Err…he is very _persuasive_," the mortal boy said instead, nervously eyeing the white-haired Ban-Ile who was sitting across the room.

Bakura, for his part, was staring at his fellow Ban-Ile with an expression that clearly stated 'We are Not Amused.'

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"He said you needed a place to stay, and even though Father's not in the country right now helping out was the least I could do…"

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"…There are so many things I could say to that, I think I won't say a word," Yami said, deliberately ignoring Bakura as he spoke.

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"Wonderful to see you're feeling better," Bakura sniffed at Yami, "Will you look at this annoying idiot, Boy! I save his pathetic hide and all he does is insult me!"

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The long-haired mortal, who Bakura was addressing, blushed a little bit.

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"Well…I'd better be on my way, then," the boy said next, hurriedly grabbing his things and leaving the two Ban-Ile alone.

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"…So, where are we again?" Yami wondered.

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"For the third time, we're in a human country called England!" Bakura snapped, "And when you finally finish sleeping off your fifth concussion, you'd do well to remember that with your OWN pathetic excuse for a brain! Fool!"

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"Wonderful to deal with you again, Kura," Yami muttered sarcastically.

"Oh yes, I **am** wonderful, aren't I?" Bakura smirked.

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"If by wonderful you mean delusional, then I agree completely." 

"Shut up and go back to sleep," Bakura grumbled, getting to his feet and lazily stretching.

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The various pops and cracks his joints made during this made Yami shudder, which made Bakura laugh madly. The white-haired Ban-Ile had always been a little odd…actually, he'd always been a downright annoying weirdo…but captivity hadn't done wonders for his sanity.

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Once Yami had regained enough awareness to be bothered by this fact, Bakura had pointed out that if he hadn't let himself be captured and hauled away by the demons sixty or so years ago…well, at the time, humanity had recently invented this 'wonderful' device called an atomic bomb, and Kura's next stop had been a 'sweet little town' called Nagasaki…

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"I have enough trouble dealing with you," Bakura said next, "And the stuff happening next is going to be just plain revolting, so I'll just head off and find something less icky and nasty and gross to deal with…like illegal back-alley surgery, perhaps…"

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"…Do I even want to know what you're blithering about right now?" Yami wondered, "And where did…whatever-his-name-is…where did he go, anyway?"

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"Like you'd remember if I told you," Bakura sighed, rolling his eyes at the stupidity of the Ban-Ile on the couch in front of him, "Well, in case you remember this, once you FINALLY manage to sleep off your damn concussion, my Ryou has just gone off to pick something up at the airport."

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"Okay, its still cold…and _wet_," Jou said, "Which way ta Stonehenge?"

"First we need to go through the airport, and rent a taxi," Mokuba said, "And maybe get some umbrellas…"

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London, England was living very much up to its weather-based reputation. A steady flow of rainwater was pouring out of the sky and onto the whole city, and it seemed almost concentrated on the airfield the Millennium Item Group (for lack of a better name) was hurrying across.

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Due to the loss of Kaiba's jumbo jet, they had flown to England in the little private jet they had originally started out in. It had been flown over during their stay in Mexico, being the only plane Kaiba could get to them without any delays. And it had actually done okay, even though they had had to stop in Canada to refuel.

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This trip had been unusually tense: something in Mexico, whether it was the hospitalization for multiple concussions or something else, had set Kaiba into a VERY foul mood, and even Mokuba was hesitant to take a wrong step around his older brother. The other five members of their group, including Kikki, hoped that some success in England would cool Kaiba's temper, especially since Jou wasn't especially renowned for his self-control when dealing with the brunette billionaire.

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(**So where do we start looking**) Yuugi signed as they reached the terminal and shook themselves as dry as they were going to get.

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"There's gotta be a sign or something…Stonehenge tours would have their own buses, I think," Mokuba said, looking around the terminal with the others - except for Kaiba, he was still angry and couldn't be bothered.

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"…Okay, this may sound crazy, but I think I see a sign of where we should go next," Duke blinked, staring at something on the other side of the terminal from them.

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"What's crazy about it?" Jou blinked.

"…Well…" Duke said, "…That guy, over there…he's holding a sign…and it says 'Kaiba group'…"

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Sure enough, over in the area where people waited for their friends and family to arrive on their planes was a guy Jou and Yuugi's age. He had long white hair and was holding a handmade sign that did, in fact, say 'Kaiba Group'.

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"What d'ya think yer doing with dat sign!" Jou said as soon as they reached the boy with the sign.

"Now now, calm down. He might be waiting for someone else with the same name," Duke told the blonde.

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"Err…" the boy looked extremely nervous, "…Um…actually…you do all match the description I was given…"

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The white-haired boy took a piece of paper out of his pocket. Before he could hand it over, Jou had already yanked it from his fingers and was reading it.

"Shit! He's right, we're all here! And these ain't da most _flatterin'_ descriptions neither," Jou added, glaring at the boy.

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"I'm sorry, um, but he was dictating it," the boy mumbled, hiding his face behind his cardboard sign.

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"Who's 'he'?" Duke said, repeating what Yuugi was signing.

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"Um…he said that when you asked, I wasn't supposed to tell you," the boy said.

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"Den how are we supposed ta trust ya!" Jou exclaimed, "I bet dis is some kinda trick! You can't fool me! You're really a evil, bloodsuckin' demon, ain't ya!"

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"A _d-d-demon?_"

The white-haired boy looked completely terrified at the very idea of such a bloodthirsty monster's existence. Before things could get any further out of hand, Kaiba unexpectedly spoke up.

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"Only a brainless** fool** would think something so obviously pathetic would be a trap," Kaiba said, ignoring Jou's spluttering completely, "You're supposed to be leading us somewhere, right?"

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The white-haired boy slowly nodded.

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"Then get to it," Kaiba sneered, before shifting his stance and clearly backing off from any sort of person-to-person communication once again.

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Duke and Yuugi blinked at Kaiba's odd behavior - and it really was odd, for Kaiba anyway - while Jou fumed and Mokuba sighed. The white haired boy blinked a few times, apparently registering exactly how a weird group he was getting mixed up with, before folding his sign up and hesitantly beginning to try and lead them off.

"Err…this way?"

…


	40. Here we go now, Here we go

HAH! I updated **before** the one year anniversary of my last update. Go me, it's my birthday...

_Ahem_...okay guys, this fic is officially on a Working Hiatus. What does that mean? It means that I am still writing and I am still updating...there's just insanely long periods of time between each update.

You have to let difficult fics rest for a while sometimes, you know? If you whip the dead horse, it can only get deader. But if you ignore an oppossum, it stops faking death and tries to run away.

...I just compared my writing style to a marsupial.

(several blinks)

Go read the fic now - this chapter came out fairly okay, after all!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Claimer: I own the demons in my fic, the Ban-Ile race, and all the rest of the stuff that I invented!

PS - **NO PAIRINGS MEANS NO PAIRINGS! **

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"…Who are you, anyway? You never did introduce yourself…"

'_…Lovely_,' Yami mentally sighed as he tried to find a position that DIDN'T make his wing scream with horrific agony, '_My headache finally clears up…just in time for some loud, obnoxious visitors…_'

"Oh, I'm very sorry for being so rude. My name is Ryou," said Ryou, Bakura's human contact-slash-unwitting pawn, as well as the owner of the house Yami was currently sitting in.

"So, is the person you mentioned earlier somewhere around here?" another unfamiliar voice asked.

"…Um…he was earlier, but he might not be now…" Ryou admitted.

"What kinda answer is dat! I told ya dis was a trap! …Yuug'? What da -"

A few seconds later, Yami was too busy having his chest crushed to pay attention to the rest of the conversation - not that he would have wanted to. It only took another moment for Yami to confirm that the absolute last person he was expecting to see again was here.

Yuugi took a step back after another second and, blushing slightly, signed I found you

"…I can see that," Yami replied after another moment.

Unfortunately for the touching part of their little reunion, Jou had followed his friend into the room. As soon as the blonde-haired boy finished gaping at the unexpected sight of a familiar Ban-Ile, Jou decided to come right over and greet Yami in his own wondrous way.

"NO FREAKIN' WAY! YAMI!" Jou bellowed, right in Yami's ear.

A flick of the wing - even if it was messed up and moving it hurt like hellfire - and the blonde teenager learned that Yami wanted to keep his hearing intact the same way Jou liked to keep his nose intact. And it had only been a little prick, so it was perfectly okay.

There wasn't time for anything else - Yuugi and Jou had come with some other people, none of whom Yami recognized.

It was plain as daylight that the black-haired one with the creepy green eyes was a Ban-Ile…Yami tried to casually move his busted wing behind him, out of immediate sight, but the other Ban-Ile saw the damage anyway and winced…to which Yami replied with a glare, which made the other Ban-Ile raise an eyebrow and start to smirk…

This would have gone on for a lot longer if not for a timely interruption.

The other door in the room was thrown open with a BANG, just when lightning flashed and thunder roared outside, punctuating the moment. Bakura's wings were spread wide, catching the light perfectly, and combined with the sound effects, his overly-dramatic entrance was intimidating enough to make almost everyone jump, as well as make Jou scream like a little girl.

Bakura lasted three whole seconds afterwards before exploding with demented, maniacal laughter.

…

"Guess we did all dat work for nothin'!" Jou sighed, "Man, what a drag…"

"Well, we did have a good reason!" Mokuba replied, trying his hardest to not stare too obviously at the cool Yuugi-look-alike Ban-Ile, who still managed to look almost as cool as his big brother, even if Mokuba was sure that that really wasn't the part of the wing that was supposed to be bending that way…

"It's just as well that you didn't finish anyway," Bakura piped up, his tone dripping with superiority, "Not only would you have been looking in the wrong place, but little weakling mortals like you wouldn't last four seconds on the other side of the DeathGate."

"What!" Jou exploded, "Wha'dya mean we wouldn't last four seconds? I could sure as hell kick YOUR scrawny feathery ass no problem!"

"The blithering idiot's barking aside," Kaiba cut in coldly, earning a deadly glare from the blonde, "My calculations indicate that there is an artifact hidden in Stonehenge."

"Was, you must mean," Bakura replied, smirking widely, "As it IS a fairly obvious hiding place, I decided that it would be in everyone's best interests if I removed it…for safekeeping, of course."

"So your being a closet kleptomaniac has nothing to do with that, does it?" Yami piped up from the other end of the sofa.

"Wow, I feel insulted," Bakura said sarcastically, rising to his feet, "In fact, I feel SO insulted that I don't think I shall be telling you where I put the object in question. Good luck finding it now, fools."

As Bakura stalked out of Ryou's sitting room, Duke shot Yami a nasty look.

"Even if we don't need to rescue you anymore, we still need to find every single Millennium Item," the black-haired Ban-Ile complained, "Now that the demons are aware that we've been collecting them, their safety - as well as that of the entire world - is in jeopardy."

"You don't know that one as I do," Yami replied, glaring at Duke, "He wouldn't give you so much as the slightest hint as to where he hid it if you actually asked him."

Duke glared back for a moment, then shrugged.

"I suppose you know your _Deyadai_ best," Duke offered.

Yami nodded in reply, accepting the temporary truce. For some reason, he and Duke appeared to have started hating each other on sight - even more than Jonouchi and Kaiba seemed to hate each other.

The Ban-Ile were watching each other levelly now, eerily calm despite their obvious dislike - but the moment was lost when Yami winced as Yuugi tugged on his crippled wing a little harder than preferable. The mute boy was working on rigging up a harness of sorts to support Yami's wing. It had been through a lot of damage by now, and at this rate it might never heal enough to use again…a fate that the Ban-Ile tried to avoid thinking about as much as possible.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Mokuba wondered, "I mean, we have three artifacts, and I don't think those demons will let us go if we explain that we don't need them anymore."

"Da hell with dat!" Jou said, "If those demons want a piece of me, I'll make 'em wish dey had never crawled out of dere slimy hole in da first place! A real man doesn't run away from fights!"

There was a long pause. Ryou, who had gone to make tea for his suddenly appearing guests, brought in a tray. He hesitated after setting it down, before turning and making his way out of the room.

Ryou seemed oddly on edge around them, not having the faintest clue what to do about his sudden wave of guests except to try and be hospitable. The pale-haired teen seemed to have grown twice as nervous over the few minutes he had been out of the room - but that might have been because Bakura could be seen lurking in the kitchen.

"Big brother? What should we do?" Mokuba asked his brother.

"…As much as I hate agreeing with him," Kaiba said coldly (there was no mistaking who 'him' was; Jou growled), "I refuse to be chased around by these pathetic creatures any longer. I will hunt them all down myself and crush them."

There was another long pause; Jou started inching away from Kaiba, a little freaked out by how calmly he had said that. Surprisingly, Yami nodded in agreement to Kaiba's statement.

"We should not let our enemy dictate our moves," the battered Ban-Ile said, "I agree; let us take the fight to them."

Kaiba eyed Yami, an eyebrow raised in a skeptical manner that clearly said 'Who the hell asked you?', which Yami chose to ignore. Yuugi gave one last tug on the harness and sat back to look over his work.

(**This should be good for now**) Yuugi signed to Yami, before turning to face the rest of the group and adding, (**Fighting back is a better idea then running and hiding. Where are we supposed to go to fight them**)

"Mai gave us dat insane riddle…" Jou shrugged, "So what? We'll just have ta improvise - we got three shiny things we know dey want, so dey'll show up eventually, right?"

"Wow, and here I thought I had seen all the stupidity that humanity had to offer already," Bakura said as he stepped back into the room, "What pathetic riddle was it that you couldn't figure out?"

Jou recited all he could remember, and Yuugi filled in the parts where the blonde had forgotten some of the words. Bakura started sniggering about halfway through.

"That old thing? I remember the day we learned it from the Elders."

"Not that you bothered to make an appearance for that lesson," Yami mumbled under his breath.

"Shut up," Bakura replied, "Anyway, it's so pathetically obvious its embarrassing. Clearly, I'll need to come with you fools, lest you kill yourselves with your stupidity when I don't get a chance to watch it happen."

"Why you -" Jou began, jumping to his feet.

Bakura ignored him, turned towards the doorway, and roared "BOY! PACK YOUR THINGS!" at the top of his lungs.

Ryou stuck his head in the doorway seconds later, a confused expression on his face.

"…Pack? Why do I need to pack?" the pale-haired boy asked, confused.

"Because I'm not letting you out of my sight, of course," Bakura growled, "Go and pack. NOW."

Ryou sighed and disappeared, his footsteps going up the stairs moments later. Kaiba, feeling offended at being left out of the decision-making process, began glaring at the white-haired Ban-Ile.

"Who the hell invited you and your idiot friend to come along?" Kaiba said.

"I did, Oh Arrogant One," Bakura sneered at him, "After all, you and your lowly mortal buddies will be eaten fairly swiftly without supervision."

Kaiba's glare increased in power, frustration evidently building that the target of his rage had the gall to remain unaffected.

"Will you at least tell us where we're going?" Mokuba asked, hoping to make at least some peace between his brother and the other people in their group - at least before they all killed each other.

"Oh, certainly," Bakura said, nearly purring, "That particular riddle describes a particular river. It's unmistakable, really. The only place darkness could emerge in the first place WOULD be the Black Land."

…

The flight was uneventful. This was partially due to the fact that Kaiba spent all his time in the cockpit - having fired the pilot for the sole purpose of getting to fly the jet, which allowed him to avoid everyone else as much as physically possible. The rest of the group relaxed and amused themselves as best they could.

Yuugi was feeding Kikki peanuts while keeping a watchful eye on Yami. Yami had gotten a whole row of seats to himself, unable to hide his injured wing inside himself the way all Ban-Ile seemed able to do, and unable to fold it due to the harness and pain.

Yuugi felt that if he took his gaze off the Ban-Ile for even a moment, Yami would vanish into thin air. As a rule, Yuugi understood himself very well, and the fact that he knew that he wouldn't be able to stand losing Yami again was both oddly reassuring and slightly alarming. It was a wonder that his feelings were so intense on the subject of the Ban-Ile, considering that Yuugi had only spent about two days maximum in Yami's presence since finding him in the park.

((**Yuugi-Flyer-No-Fly is stormy. Why?**)) Kikki chirped up at him.

Jou was making a lot of noise at the moment - Yuugi wondered what could have set him off so badly, the blonde was throwing an absolute fit - and since Yami, the nearest person to him on the plane, seemed to be asleep over in his seat, Yuugi carefully replied, (((**What do you mean? I was just thinking about something**.)))

((**Thinky makes Yuugi-Flyer-No-Fly all stormy like sad cloud. Thought you had better than dirt-sense**,)) Kikki pointed out, accepting another piece of peanut.

Once the Blue Jay had finished that piece, he preened himself, adding ((**No flyer-sense, to be sad cloud when flock-mate is found**.))

Yuugi tried to translate that into human terms inside his head. Frowning when he managed, Yuugi asked Kikki, (((**What do you mean by flock-mate? Do you mean Yami?**)))

Unnoticed, a sleepy eye slid slightly open.

((**You is beaking for beaking now!**)) Kikki complained, ((**Is like plain dirt. Me join your flock despite Weird-doggie and Lying-scratchie, so me know is dirt-crazy. Sky-scratchie is of flock too. Flock is big-important, all with Flyer-sense know that!**))

With that, Kikki settled back to the serious business of being fed peanuts. While he kept feeding the bird, Yuugi mulled over what Kikki had just said.

Was that the reason he felt so attached to Yami? Well, birds and Ban-Ile seemed to have a connection, and as far as ever bird he'd met so far had been concerned, Yuugi was as good as a bird…the mostly mute boy wondered why Fate had chosen him to have such a weird life. It sure seemed to have a weird sense of humor…Yuugi looked over when he thought he heard an odd noise, but it was only Yami shifting in his sleep.

At the other end of the plane, Jou had finished his long cursing rant and stormed over a few rows to sit by someone who didn't piss him off. And here he'd thought having Kaiba out of the way would make this trip more pleasant - but that crazy Ban-Ile who'd escaped with Yami somehow knew EXACTLY what to say to piss Jou off in a way that Kaiba could never hope to do.

Actually, Kaiba was almost bearable now. Honestly, even a shitty little adventure like they'd had wandering around before they'd gotten to that Mexican hospital was good for a little bit of male bonding…it probably helped that Kaiba had been half-delirious by the end of it and didn't seem to remember anything that had been discussed afterwards. Didn't make the bastard any less of a bastard, though.

"Jou, you might want to calm down before you give yourself a heart attack…or an ulcer," Duke advised.

The Ban-Ile had been leaning back in his seat, all cozy-looking and everything, when Jou had thrown himself down into the next seat. Duke looked more amused with what was going on then anything, which was irritating.

"Tell him ta stop pissing me off an' I'll stay un-pissed," Jou complained, jerking a thumb back to where Bakura was lounging, looking disgustingly pleased with himself, "An' how does an guy who spent years flying around a mountain know about ulcers?"

"That's simple. Humans go to odd places when they're on vacation," Duke said, "We usually have someone act as their 'tour guide' - to keep them from finding out about us - so we need to know about those sorts of things. That's the whole reason I approached you guys in the first place."

"Oh," Jou blinked, "Dat actually makes a lotta sense. But seriously, you're a Ban-Ile and he's a Ban-Ile - can't ya tell psycho-boy to shut up or somethin'?"

"I don't think it's really possible to talk him down if he goes off," Duke replied, "From what I can see, Bakura has unusually strong _Hu'chou_ ."

"Excuse you."

"I didn't sneeze," the black-haired Ban-Ile frowned, annoyed, "_Hu'chou_ is…let's see, I think you'd call it a 'sixth sense', but that's oversimplifying it. Having stronger _Hu'chou_ tends to lead to some…peculiarities."

"Like dat crazy Pegasus guy you were hanging with?" Jou asked, remembering how…scary-happy the elder Ban-Ile had been.

"...Something like that," Duke said, looking annoyed at Jou's decision to call his mentor and Elder crazy.

Not long afterwards, the plane finally touched down at their next - and quite likely final - destination.

…  
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	41. And the plot thickens

(cue full body twitch)

...Okay, fine! I haven't updated regularly in over a year! I get it already!

Sheesh, you people...

By the way, I CAN see my hit counter going up perfectly well, you know. Don't read and then wander off without the courtesy of at least **pretending** to care enough about my story to review it!

**_Disclaimer_**: Authoress does not own Yu-Gi-Oh

**_Claimer_**: Authoress owns story, original ideas she created, and the other stuff like that

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…  
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Egypt was a lot different than most of their other stops had been. For one thing, it was hot and bright - VERY hot and bright.

Secondly, no one seemed to notice Yami's spread wing, despite how it quite obviously stuck out underneath the blanket it was being covered with.

There had been some serious doubts about Yami's leaving the plane at all, or at least leaving during the day when everyone would see his currently un-retractable wing. When Bakura had started cackling to himself in the middle of the argument, Duke and Yami had both pointed that that was the best sign they were going to get as to whether or not it would be a good idea.

Yami and Duke had afterwards glared at each other, annoyed by their agreement. The non-Ban-Ile members of the group were starting to get very curious as to why the two seemed to hate each other so much, when neither of them had ever seen each other before meeting in Ryou's house. Unfortunately for their curiosity, no one wanted to risk provoking the Ban-Ile's ire by asking.

Only Kikki seemed to understand, and the Blue Jay laughed in Yuugi's ear at every glare the two passed between them.

Cairo was bustling and active, even though it was rather early in the day. Even so, the passersby moved to avoid a collision with Yami's open wing without seeming to register the Ban-Ile's presence. At all. This studied obliviousness was disconcerting, but there seemed to be no danger of demons swooping down on them from the skies as they hurried across town.

Ryou, surprisingly enough, was in the lead. He had actually been to Egypt a few times before - he said something about 'family matters' when asked. Because of this experience, Ryou knew his way around most of Cairo. All signs of his previous nervousness were practically nonexistent as he lead them towards a particular hotel. This hotel, Ryou explained, was where most people going out into the desert, including archeologists, could usually find native guides to lead them.

None of them doubted that they would need to search far beyond the areas populated by humans.

Unsurprisingly enough, after all this time and excitement, Yuugi had almost completely forgotten about his Grandpa. It had been over a month since Grandpa had left to join his friend at a dig. Grandpa would be back home by now…uh-oh.

Yuugi decided that the next chance they had, he'd have to send a message - Grandpa would be frantic, especially when he checked Jou's house to discover that Yuugi's friend had also vanished without a trace.

'We didn't even tell Honda what we were going to do, so I doubt he can tell Grandpa,' Yuugi thought morosely to himself as they continued making their way across the city.

Walking with his hands in his pockets, Yuugi found himself with nothing much to do besides following Ryou, except for idly tracing the pendant with a fingertip.

The second he'd had a chance, Yuugi had attempted to return Yami's pendant to him, only for the Ban-Ile to push it back into his hands. Yami hadn't tried to explain himself, giving Yuugi a look as if he wondered why the boy would even consider returning the treasure he had been given.

It sort of made sense that Yuugi should keep it: the demons would naturally want a pendant that could find Ban-Ile - that was probably why they had been so relentless in hunting Yami down in the first place - and no one would think a small, weak-looking human mute would be carrying something so important.

It didn't mean Yuugi had to like it. How would Yami defend himself if the demons tried to capture him again? Especially with his wing too wrecked to fly…

When they finally arrived at the hotel (It was called Portal of the Sands, Ryou said) most of their group waited around outside while Ryou and Kaiba went inside to make arrangements for their stay. Bakura went inside as well, apparently meaning what he said about not taking his eyes off Ryou. The mood was tense, as everyone outside were keeping their eyes peeled for any sign that a swarm of demons was about to attack. It had been peaceful in Cairo thus far, but no one wanted to be caught off-guard.

Eventually growing sick of the tense mood, Yuugi let himself look around the street in front of the old hotel. He was just wondering where Kikki had gone - the Blue Jay had flown off soon after they'd arrived, probably to check things out with the local bird population - when an unexpected poster caught his eye.

It was a very large poster, and displayed on it were pictures of artifacts, none of which looked Egyptian. There wasn't much written on the poster, but that was because the words were on display in many different languages - including, oddly enough, Japanese.

The oddness of such a coincidence - since surely there wouldn't be that many native Japanese in Cairo - was enough that Yuugi stepped up towards the poster for a better look.

'_International Exhibit: Wonders of the World!_' read the poster, '_Come to the gallery of treasures from the undiscovered past! Sponsored by the IFAU_.'

Now that he was standing closer, Yuugi could see the artifacts on the poster much better. They had one very eerie similarity. The way they were shaped, the words on each one…it all screamed 'Ban-Ile'.

…

Seto would have absolutely nothing to do with this sort of insanity anymore, outside of virtual reality at least. Fantasy was fantasy and it was supposed to stay separate from reality - that was why they had two different names. All of this weirdness was going to make him too confused to do his job.

Yuugi and most of his gaggle of friends, plus Mokuba, had all trotted off to see some international exhibit on artifacts. Grudgingly, the Ban-Ile with the busted wing - not to mention hair that managed to be stranger than Yuugi's - was in the group's other room, resting. Seto had decided to simply ignore him, a feeling that seemed to be mutual.

As for the teenaged CEO, Seto planned to have no more part of this until he got his head straightened out again. It had been vaguely interesting for a while, but now that this business was messing with his head, Seto needed time to pull his real life from the bizarre fantasy Mokuba and himself had landed in. Of course, Mokuba could continue to enjoy himself as long as he wanted - Seto was nothing if (mostly) honest with himself, and he'd never really been that great at the 'happy family' thing - but at the first sign of his little brother losing interest…

This was part of the reason he never bothered to delegate his paperwork - keeping himself busy like this helped Seto think, gave him something else to focus on while the rest of his mind teased out a solution to whatever the problem was.

Only this time it wasn't working…

'All this nonsense is mixing me up,' Seto told himself as he typed, 'I'll admit that quite a bit turned out to be true…demons and Ban-Ile and magical golden objects…but that has nothing to do with me! I deal in technology - chips and wires and plastic. The only reason I'm providing these annoying fools so much help is because I owe Yuugi for saving Mokuba, that's all.'

While that eased his mental discomfort somewhat, other thoughts still plagued him. The strange writing in the alcove, especially.

It wasn't that Seto hadn't seen the language before; at the first site, in China, the pictures had shown plenty of Ban-Ile script. The problem was that only seeing it once could not have given him the ability to know what the Ban-Ile had read aloud _before he had read it_.

The sound of the door opening was a welcome distraction. Seto lifted his head and looked to see who was coming in, frowning to himself. A bit early for anyone to be coming back from their little exhibit, wasn't it?

The door was wide open, but no one was there. Something in Seto signaled alarm and he whirled around instantly - how the hell had he let an intruder get behind him?

Before Seto could move any further to defend himself or even say a word, a flash of golden light washed out everything.

…

This was the most frustrating hunt imaginable. And judging from the way she had been hissed at when being ordered to help in the search, Anzu knew that the Lady blamed HER for disgrace she had suffered, and for the punishment the Hive-Queen had dealt her.

It wasn't Anzu's fault that Yami and his insane friend had escaped! Granted, she had lost track of the key she had taken to taunt them with shortly after leaving the cage room, but that certainly didn't mean it was HER fault!

And really, she had expected it to be an easy hunt - at the very least, Anzu had thought confidently, Yami was in no shape to get far. That mop-headed lunatic couldn't get far either, if he stuck around to drag his friend's Graying corpse to safety.

Instead, the warriors she had lead had circled the area for days before a host of trackers discovered the Ban-Ile's true trail. They had mocked her in their escape by taking human transportation, the foul flittering pests!

The trail had disappeared and reappeared, doubling back again and again, and Anzu had been ready to write off both Ban-Ile as gone for good - all those centuries hunting Yami down, wasted! And the Hive-Queen's punishment would land solely on Anzu this time…the Hive-Queen might even kill her, a notion that chilled Anzu's bones…

Anzu was expecting to have to flee for her life and soul, when she dragged the frustrated trackers and warriors back to give the news to the Hive-Queen.

Anzu wasn't expecting to be greeted with a smile. It wasn't even an amused smile, which was a dangerous expression to be seen on a ranking female demon - those meant they wanted to play with you for a bit before they killed you - but the indulgent smile of a watcher keeping an eye on the newly spawned hatchlings while they learned to fight by playing.

"Your search was of no avail," the Hive-Queen said, her voice an odd sing-song that crawled unpleasantly down the spine.

"I beg for thy forgiveness, O Great Queen," Anzu replied automatically, already bowed low in reverence - and ready to spring up and run away with an instant's warning.

"Ah, it is of no matter," the Hive-Queen purred unexpectedly.

Anzu risked glancing up - was this for real? Was she not going to be killed and eaten after all? Much to her surprise, flanking the Hive-Queen were two Ladys, neither of which Anzu recognized. One was holding a strange golden thing - it looked like a scale for measuring weight, but it was so small…there was a raised eye in the metal which stared back at Anzu, watching her almost banefully.

Off to the side was a pile of something. Anzu's heart nearly stopped when she recognized the remains of her Lady, the one whose spawn she had commanded for the last few centuries. The Lady had been ripped to pieces. The Hive-Queen seemed to realize what Anzu was looking at, because the enormous female demon - easily out-massing the Ladys flanking her - purred and chuckled.

"Such a foolish creature that was," the Hive-Queen said, "I feel disgusted that I spawned such a worthless worm. But you, spawned from the gift of my husband, you were worth far more then that wretched beast."

Anzu's heart began to race. It was a natural reaction; she was a female and the husband of the Hive-Queens was most desirable out of the entire demonic race. Not to mention that it was the Lord of the Abyss who had made it possible for Anzu to leave her disgusting human heritage behind forever. Anzu's attention snapped back to the Hive-Queen instantly - the Hive-Queen was still speaking, it wouldn't do to upset the one who held your existence in her claws.

"Now, my most beautiful, un-spawned daughter," the Hive-Queen said, waving at the Lady holding the strange golden scales to move forward, "I have a lovely surprise for you."

…  
…


	42. Notice of the fic's end

Sorry about just posting this notice...I just needed to let everyone know that this fic is now CLOSED. No more updates, no more chapters. Nadda and none.

Please feel free to check out the new and improved repost of 'Clockwork Nightingale'! I will also be sending notices to those of you who were nice enough to review this fic, in case you feel the urge to read a much improved version of what I originally wrote.

((bows to the audience))

Thank you for your patronage!


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